Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq Futures Rise On AI, Fed Watch After Holiday Break: Why ZIM, AAPL, TCNNF, DIS Kept Traders On Edge Today

Focus turns to Fed meeting minutes on Wednesday, the core PCE inflation report on Friday, and major earnings throughout the week.

• Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.01%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.1%, and Dow futures gained 0.05%.
• Investors weighed easing January inflation data, expectations for Fed rate cuts later this year, and continued uncertainty around AI’s disruptive impact.
• Upcoming earnings for the week are from Walmart, DoorDash, Wayfair, Palo Alto Networks, and AI bellwether Nvidia.

U.S. stock futures were mostly higher late Monday as Wall Street reopened after the Presidents Day holiday, as investors take stock of new data showing easing inflation against persistent concerns around AI disruption and the Federal Reserve’s rate path.

As of 8.16 p.m. ET, Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.01%, while S&P 500 futures rose 0.1%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 0.05%.

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

US Market Drivers

Markets reacted to the reopening of U.S. markets following a week in which all three major U.S. stock indexes declined amid sustained pressure on technology shares.

Investor focus remained on the uncertainty around AI after concerns about AI’s potentially disruptive impact weighed on sectors including software, real estate, trucking and financial services last week.

Jonah Lupton, CEO of Lupton Capital, said on X that the market remains in the early innings of the AI arms race, adding that the risk of underspending is greater than the risk of overspending. "The hyperscalers aren’t just competing with each other, they’re also competing with the best funded private companies in history not to mention China which might be the biggest threat of all."

Attention also remained on the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook after Friday’s consumer price index showed inflation rising less than expected in January, supporting expectations for potential interest-rate cuts later this year.

Earnings season is entering the homestretch, with the majority of S&P 500 companies having already reported results. Investors are awaiting upcoming reports from companies including Walmart, DoorDash, Wayfair and Palo Alto Networks, while earnings from AI bellwether Nvidia are due this week.

Looking ahead, investors are monitoring the release of the Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes on Wednesday and the core personal consumption expenditures price index on Friday for further signals on the inflation path.

Stephanie Link, chief investment strategist at Hightower Advisors, said on X that year-to-date sector performance has diverged, with the sector outperformers led by smaller-weighted stocks in the S&P 500. She said the Magnificent Seven is down 7% year to date, Walmart is up 12%, software stocks are down 22%, and Amazon has fallen for nine straight sessions, the first such streak in 20 years.

Trending Stocks To Watch On NYSE, Nasdaq

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services (ZIM) drew attention after it agreed to be acquired by Hapag-Lloyd for $35.00 per share in cash, valuing the company at about $4.2 billion and representing a 58% premium to its Feb. 13 closing price.

Apple (AAPL) came into focus as it sent media invites for a “special Apple Experience” event in New York on March 4, with Deepwater Asset Management’s Gene Munster saying the event will likely feature a low-end MacBook and possibly a lower-priced iPhone.

Trulieve Cannabis (TCNNF) saw heightened retail chatter after Fox News reported former Reagan-era education secretary William Bennett opposing the federal rescheduling of marijuana, even as the Trump administration moves to shift cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III.

Walt Disney (DIS) drew attention after sending a cease-and-desist letter to ByteDance, alleging its intellectual property was used without compensation to train an AI video-generation model, according to Axios.

Anthropic came into focus after a senior Pentagon official reportedly said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is close to cutting business ties with the AI company and designating it a supply-chain risk for U.S. military contractors.

How Global Markets Are Performing Today

In broader markets, the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell to 4.07% on Friday, its lowest level since early December. Gold traded near the $5,000 an ounce level, while crude oil futures rose more than 1%.

Asian markets were subdued amid holiday-thinned trading on Tuesday, with markets in mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam closed for Lunar New Year. Equity-index futures for Japan were slightly weaker, while shares opened higher in Australia. 

Among the catalysts for Tuesday are the Empire State manufacturing survey and the home builder confidence index.

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