U.S. stocks are seen opening marginally higher Monday, remaining near record levels, heading into a week that includes a keenly-awaited Federal Reserve meeting.
At 7 AM ET (1200 GMT), the Dow futures contract was up just 5 points, or less than 0.1%, S&P 500 futures traded 3 points, or 0.1%, higher, and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 50 points, or 0.3%.
The three major indices closed just higher Friday, with the broad-based S&P 500 ending up 0.2%, at a new record high. The blue-chip Dow gained under 0.1% while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed 0.4% higher, helped by a rotation back into growth names.
The Fed’s two-day policy meeting, ending Wednesday, will likely limit activity in the early part of the week. The central bank is not expected to take any immediate action, but investors will be focusing on the statement to see whether the policy makers open discussions about how and when to taper the $120 billion in monthly central bank bond purchases.
Crude oil prices pushed higher Monday, trading near multi-year highs, helped by an improved outlook for demand as increased Covid-19 vaccinations push global travel back to near normalcy.
U.S. daily air travelers have topped 2 million for the first time since the pandemic began with traffic returning to pre-pandemic levels in North America and much of Europe as lockdowns and other restrictions are being eased, although the U.K. could throw a spanner in the works later Monday.
Stocks making the biggest moves in the premarket:
Novavax(NVAX) – The drugmaker said its Covid-19 vaccine proved 90% effective overall in a late-stage trial, and 93% effective against the most predominant variants of the virus. It also provided 100% protection against moderate and severe disease. Novavax shares surged 10.4% in premarket trading.
Lordstown Motors(RIDE) – The electric truck maker announced the resignation of CEO Steve Burns and CFO Julio Rodriguez, days after the company warned there was doubt it could continue as a going concern. Lordstown has engaged a search firm to find replacements for Burns and Rodriguez. Shares tumbled 8% in the premarket.
Phillips(PHG) – Phillips shares slid 4.3% in premarket action after saying it would recall up to 4 million CPAP machines due to potential toxicity risks. The foam used in the sleep apnea treatment devices could degrade and potentially become toxic. The Dutch medical equipment company is the largest producer of CPAP machines.
Chipotle Mexican Grill(CMG) – Raymond James upgraded the restaurant chain’s shares to “strong buy” from “outperform”, predicting that recent menu price increases would push second-half profit well beyond consensus forecasts. Chipotle shares gained 1.4% in the premarket.
Ferrari(RACE) – Goldman Sachs gave the automaker’s stock a double downgrade, moving its rating to “sell” from “buy”, noting increased capital spending and a limited scope for positive earnings revisions. Ferrari fell 2.7% in the premarket.
GlaxoSmithKline(GSK) – The drugmaker is collaborating with clinical-stage biopharmaceutical companyiTeos Therapeutics(ITOS) to develop and commercialize EOS-448, a monoclonal antibody in early-stage development as a possible cancer treatment. iTeos soared 60.4% in the premarket.
AstraZeneca(AZN) – The drugmaker’s Covid-19 vaccine has a favorable risk/reward profile for all age groups and particularly for those 60 years and older, according to the head of the European Medicines Agency’s Covid-19 task force. Marco Cavaleri said his quote in an Italian newspaper saying the vaccine should not be given to those over 60 was not interpreted correctly.
Royal Dutch Shell(RDS.A) – The energy giant is considering a sale of shale assets in Texas, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Reuters. Such a could be worth more than $10 billion. Shares gained 2% in premarket trading.
Oatly(OTLY) – The oat milk maker received a mixed batch of initial ratings from a handful of investment firms. Oatly received ratings of “perform” (Oppenheimer), “outperform” (Credit Suisse), “equal-weight” (Morgan Stanley), “overweight” (Piper Sandler), “buy” (Jefferies, Guggenheim), “neutral” (JPMorgan Chase) and “sector perform” (RBC Capital). All agree on growth prospects for Oatly – but some firms feel those prospects are already priced into the stock.
Qualcomm(QCOM) – Qualcomm is prepared to invest in UK chipmaker Arm if its $40 billion deal to be acquired byNvidia(NVDA) is blocked by regulators, according to the Telegraph newspaper quoting CEO Cristiano Amon.
Equinix(EQIX) – Equinix struck a deal for additional joint ventures with Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund to expand its data center operations there. The deal will see the fund invest an additional $3.9 billion, bringing the total investment to more than $6.9 billion.
NextGen Acquisition(NGAC) – The special purpose acquisition company is in advanced talks to take Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit public, according to Sky News. Sky said a deal valuing Virgin Orbit at about $3 billion could be announced within the coming weeks. NextGen shares gained 1.9% in the premarket.
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