U.S. stock futures saw a decline on Monday, following a week of positive momentum that concluded on Friday. Major benchmark indices experienced a drop in their futures, with the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq all presented with negative adjustments.
In recent developments, President Donald Trump announced that media mogul Lachlan Murdoch, alongside tech leaders Larry Ellison of Oracle Corp. and Michael Dell of Dell Technologies, would be participating as investors in the proposed acquisition of TikTok’s U.S. operations from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. During an interview on Fox News’ Sunday Briefing, Trump referred to the investors as “American patriots” and acknowledged TikTok’s role in enhancing his outreach to younger voters in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
Additionally, Trump confirmed he had held discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping, labeling their conversation as productive. The two leaders are expected to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for October 31 in South Korea.
As the market opened, the 10-year Treasury bond yield stood at 4.12%, while the two-year bond yielded 3.57%. According to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, there is a 91.9% likelihood that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in its upcoming October meeting.
In premarket trading, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) saw a slight decrease of 0.24%, trading at $662.11, while the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ) dipped by 0.38%, reaching $597.07, based on data from Benzinga Pro.
After last Friday’s session, where technology, utilities, and communication services stocks made notable gains, the overall performance for major indices was largely positive. The Dow Jones index recorded a record high, increasing by 173 points or 0.37% to close at 46,315.27. The S&P 500 rose 0.49% to reach 6,664.36, and the Nasdaq Composite surged 0.72% to 22,631.48. However, the small-cap Russell 2000 saw a decrease of 0.77%, closing at 2,448.77.
Economists like Justin Wolfers have raised concerns regarding the Federal Reserve’s challenge in navigating current economic conditions, especially in light of trade tariffs imposed by Trump. Wolfers highlighted the contradictions between rising inflation and slowing economic growth, suggesting that the most effective solution lies in removing tariffs rather than relying solely on monetary policy.
On the housing front, new construction data indicated a troubling trend, as August 2025 saw a significant decline in building permits and housing starts. The Baker Hughes oil rig count also noted a rise, which signals possibly changing dynamics in the energy sector.
Investor attention is now turning to a slate of upcoming economic data releases and Federal Reserve speeches throughout the week, including insights from New York Fed President John Williams and Fed Chair Jerome Powell, among others.
In the premarket arena, several stocks were in focus. Firefly Aerospace remained stagnant ahead of its earnings report, while Globus Maritime faced a significant drop despite surpassing financial expectations. Fox Corp. benefited from news surrounding the TikTok deal, gaining 4.20%, with both Oracle Corp. and Dell Technologies also seeing positive gains. Snap Inc. surged nearly 7.5% due to increased retail interest.
On the commodities front, crude oil futures experienced a modest increase, hovering around $62.50 per barrel, while gold prices rose to approximately $3,722.37 per ounce, nearing its previous record high. Asian markets saw mixed results, with some indices advancing while others, like Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, fell. European markets opened lower, reflecting a cautious sentiment among investors.
