U.S. Stocks May Turn In A Lackluster Performance In Early Trading
(RTTNews) - Following the modest pullback seen during last Friday's trading, stock may turn in a lackluster performance in early trading on Monday. The major index futures are currently pointing to a roughly flat open for the markets, with the S&P 500 futures nearly unchanged.
Technology stocks may see some strength after a report from Bloomberg said Anthropic is telling prospective investors its second quarter revenue jumped at least 14-fold versus the same period a year ago.
According to documents seen by Bloomberg, the Claude chatbot maker reported preliminary revenue of more than $11.5 billion in the second quarter compared to $787 million in the same period in 2025.
Overall trading activity may be somewhat subdued, however, as traders express some uncertainty about the near-term outlook for the markets.
While recent economic data has eased concerns about the Federal Reserve raising interest rates next month, crude oil prices remain at elevated levels amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict.
U.S. crude oil futures are climbing 0.7 percent to $83 a barrel after President Donald Trump threatened to bomb Oman during an interview with Fox News.
Trump's threat comes as Iran and Oman appear to be moving closer to an understanding over the management of the Strait of Hormuz.
Not long after the start of trading, the National Association of Home Builders is scheduled to release its report on homebuilder confidence in the month of August. The housing market index is expected to edge down to 33 in August from 34 in July.
Stocks moved modestly lower during trading on Friday, giving back ground after moving mostly higher over the two previous sessions. Selling pressure remained relatively subdued, however, limiting the downside for the major averages.
The major averages all finished the day in negative territory. The Dow dipped 107.58 points or 0.2 percent to 53,732.41, the Nasdaq fell 73.86 points or 0.3 percent to 26,729.16 and the S&P 500 slipped 13.23 points or 0.2 percent to 7,785.76.
For the week, the major averages turned in a mixed performance. While the Dow slid by 0.6 percent, the Nasdaq crept up by 0.1 percent and the S&P 500 rose by 0.4 percent.
In overseas trading, stock markets across the Asia-Pacific region moved mostly higher during trading on Monday. Japan's Nikkei 225 Index climbed by 0.7 percent, while China's Shanghai Composite Index jumped by 1.4 percent.
Meanwhile, the major European markets have moved to the downside on the day. While the French CAC 40 Index is down by 0.4 percent, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index and the German DAX Index are both down by 0.1 percent.
In commodities trading, crude oil futures are rising $0.35 to $82.75 a barrel after jumping $1.15 to $82.40 a barrel last Friday. Meanwhile, after climbing $16.90 to $4,437.30 an ounce in the previous session, gold futures are inching up $6.70 to $4,444 an ounce.
On the currency front, the U.S. dollar is trading at 159.26 yen versus the 159.30 yen it fetched at the close of New York trading on Friday. Against the euro, the dollar is trading at $1.1591 compared to last Friday's $1.1569.
