Stock futures point to a higher open

Stock futures ticked up in early trading Tuesday as traders considered the latest batch of corporate earnings results and mulled prospects of another robust stimulus proposal getting passed.

The S&P 500 looked to add to its record closing high, while contracts on the Nasdaq fluctuated between gains and losses. Contracts on the Dow also rose, with the index on track to shake off Monday’s declines. Shares of Dow component Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) jumped in early trading after its fourth-quarter results and full-year forecast topped estimates.

Stocks this week have also been closely tracking traders’ assessments of the path forward for more fiscal stimulus, especially as concerns over new variants of the coronavirus and a disorderly vaccine roll-out raise the specter of longer-term virus-related damage to the economy.

President Joe Biden has been pushing to pass a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief proposal through a hesitant Congress but said during a new conference on Monday that he was “open to negotiate” some points of the proposal, including his call for additional direct checks of $1,400 for most Americans.

In terms of timing, however, hopes for a speedy passage of another stimulus package dimmed, after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he aimed to advance the next round of virus relief legislation by mid-March, Bloomberg reported Monday.

“I anticipate the stimulus bill to get passed, but I think it is going to likely take several weeks for that to happen. We have a divided Congress, a $1.9 trillion proposed bill after a $900 billion bill that just went through in December, so I don’t think the $1.9 trillion is likely to even be passed,” Colleen MacPherson, Penobscot Investment Management director of research, told Yahoo Finance. “But I do think that in the stimulus bill, it will be more targeted to individuals. We might not have that $1,400 in direct payments. There likely will be negotiations there. And I don’t think that the federal minimum wage will be [raised] to $15.”

Meanwhile, investors are also closely monitoring this week’s packed schedule of corporate earnings results and economic data. Notable companies including Raytheon Technologies (RTX), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), General Electric (GE), DR Horton (DHI), 3M (MMM), Lockheed Martin (LMT), American Express (AXP), and Verizon (VZ), the parent company of Yahoo Finance, each reported results Tuesday morning.

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7:30 a.m. ET Tuesday: Stock futures tick up

Here were the main moves in markets, as of 7:20 a.m. ET Tuesday:

• S&P 500 futures (ES=F): 3,850.75, up 2.25 points or 0.06%

• Dow futures (YM=F): 30,925.00, up 57 points or 0.18%

• Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): 13,474.25, down 1.25 points or 0.01%

• Crude (CL=F): +$0.28 (+0.53%) to $53.05 a barrel

• Gold (GC=F): -$0.80 (-0.04%) to $1,854.40 per ounce

• 10-year Treasury (^TNX): +0.7 bps to yield 1.047%

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6:01 p.m. ET Monday: Stock futures open slightly lower

Here were the main moves in markets, as of 6:01 p.m. ET Monday:

• S&P 500 futures (ES=F): 3,843.5, down 5 points or 0.13%

• Dow futures (YM=F): 30,842.00, down 26 points or 0.08%

• Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): 13,451.5, down 24 points or 0.18%

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New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at Wall Street on January 12, 2021 in New York City. – US stocks on January 11, 2021 retreated from records set last week as political uncertainty, including efforts to remove President Donald Trump from power, has finally shaken investors. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

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