Dow, Nasdaq, S&P 500 Futures Steady After Volatile Trump Week: Why Traders Are Eyeing INTC, ALT, ASTI, UNH, LAES Today

Markets digested recent gains, elevated retail activity, and focused on Trump’s trade and geopolitical developments.

• Futures steadied as investors balanced easing geopolitical tensions with fresh earnings-driven volatility.
• Retail dip-buying remained active, even as policy uncertainty continued to dominate trader sentiment.
• Market focus stayed on Trump’s recent trade and geopolitical developments after a volatile week.

U.S. stock futures were slightly higher early Friday as investors digested easing geopolitical risks, an earnings-driven drop in Intel shares, and signs of aggressive retail dip-buying following two consecutive sessions of gains on Wall Street.

As of 12.02 p.m., Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 futures rose about 0.2%, while Dow futures added around 0.07%.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment toward the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was ‘bearish’ amid ‘high’ message volume. Sentiment toward the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was also ‘bearish’ amid ‘high’ message volume, while sentiment toward the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) was ‘neutral’ amid ‘high’ message volume.

Market Drivers

In the prior session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 306.78 points, or 0.63%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.55% and the Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.91%. The Russell 2000 closed at a record high.

Stocks extended gains after U.S. President Donald Trump walked back planned tariffs on imports from eight European nations set to begin Feb. 1 and pointed to a “framework” agreement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Greenland. While details remain limited, Denmark reiterated that sovereignty is non-negotiable, and investors took relief from the swift de-escalation following earlier market turbulence.

The Kobeissi Letter said on X that individual investors net bought about $1.8 billion of the SPY ETF on Thursday, the largest daily inflow since October and the third-largest since the April 2025 market recovery. Year to date, retail purchases have exceeded $1.0 billion daily, while weekly inflows reached roughly $12 billion, including $4.9 billion into single stocks, marking the highest such buy in nine months.

Meanwhile, a Stocktwits poll with more than 4,000 votes showed 68% of users citing policy uncertainty tied to Trump as the main driver of volatility, compared with 13% pointing to earnings and guidance, 13% to liquidity and algorithmic trading, and 6% to options and dealer positioning.

Trending Stocks To Watch

Intel (INTC): Shares fell about 7% after hours after the company issued a softer outlook for the first quarter of 2026, citing depleted buffer inventory and acute supply constraints.

Altimmune (ALT): Shares rose more than 2% in extended trading as investors continued to react to the FDA’s Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Pemvidutide in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

SEALSQ (LAES): Shares slipped around 0.4% after hours following plans for a semiconductor joint venture in India.

Ascent Solar Technologies (ASTI): Shares jumped over 16% in extended trading on updates around its 2026 growth plans.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH): Shares edged down about 0.3% after hours as traders gear up for its full-year 2025 earnings release and 2026 guidance, scheduled for Jan. 27, before the market opens.

Broader Markets

In broader markets, the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hovered around 4.25%, while gold held near record levels above $4,900 per ounce. Asian markets traded mostly higher, with Japan’s Nikkei edging up ahead of the Bank of Japan’s policy decision, while the MSCI Asia-Pacific index posted modest gains.

Among the catalysts for the day are the S&P flash U.S. manufacturing PMI, S&P flash U.S. services PMI, and the final January consumer sentiment report for fresh direction.

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