U.S. Stocks May See Further Upside Amid Easing Banking Concerns
After moving notably higher over the course of the previous week, stocks may see further upside in early trading on Monday. The major index futures are currently pointing to a higher open for the markets, with the S&P 500 futures up by 0.6 percent.
Traders may look to build on last week’s gains as fears of a global banking crisis have once again eased following the latest developments in the sector.
Shares of First Citizens BancShares (FCNCA) are soaring in pre-market trading after announcing an agreement with the FDIC to purchase substantially all deposits and loans of failed Silicon Valley Bridge Bank.
The FDIC said the transaction included the purchase of about $72 billion of Silicon Valley Bridge Bank’s assets at a discount of $16.5 billion.
U.S.-listed shares of Deutsche Bank (DB) may also move back to the upside after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz noted the bank remains profitable and said there’s no reason to doubt its future.
Overall trading activity may be somewhat subdued, however, with a lack of major U.S. economic data likely to keep some traders on the sidelines.
Later in the week, traders are likely to keep a close eye on a report on personal income and spending in the month of February, as it includes a reading on inflation said to be preferred by the Federal Reserve.
With the Fed signaling last week that it expects just one more interest rate increase this year, traders will look to the data for clues about the timing of the final rate hike.
Stocks came under pressure early in the session on Friday but staged a significant turnaround over the course of the trading day. The major averages climbed well off their lows of the session and into positive territory.
The major averages all moved to the upside as the day progressed, adding to the gains posted on Thursday. The Dow climbed 132.28 points or 0.4 percent to 32,237.53, the Nasdaq rose 36.56 points or 0.3 percent to 11,823.96 and the S&P 500 advanced 22.27 points or 0.6 percent to 3,970.99.
For the week, the Dow jumped by 1.2 percent, while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq surged by 1.4 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively.
In overseas trading, stock markets across the Asia-Pacific region turned in a mixed performance during trading on Monday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index rose by 0.3 percent, while China’s Shanghai Composite Index fell by 0.4 percent.
Meanwhile, the major European markets have all moved to the upside on the day. While the German DAX Index has jumped by 1.3 percent, the French CAC 40 Index is up by 1.1 percent and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index is up by 0.9 percent.
In commodities trading, crude oil futures are surging $1.28 to $70.54 a barrel after falling $0.70 to $69.26 a barrel last Friday. Meanwhile, after sliding $12.10 to $1,983.80 an ounce in the previous session, gold futures are tumbling $30.70 to $1,953.10 an ounce.
On the currency front, the U.S. dollar is trading at 131.56 yen versus the 130.73 yen it fetched at the close of New York trading on Friday. Against the euro, the dollar is trading at $1.0776 compared to last Friday’s $1.0760.
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