Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., February 14, 2024.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
S&P 500 futures are near flat early Tuesday as the market rally took a breather.
Futures tied to the broad market index inched down by 0.04%, and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 15 points, off by 0.04%. Nasdaq 100 futures slid 0.12%.
In after-hours action, CarGurus and Unity Software dropped more than 12% and 18%, respectively, after offering weak guidance on financial performance to investors. On the other hand, Zoom Video and Hims & Hers surged 10% and 19%, respectively, following earnings reports that exceeded Wall Street expectations.
Those moves follow a losing day on Wall Street that pulled the Dow and S&P 500 off record highs seen last week. The Dow and S&P 500 slipped 0.16% and 0.38%, respectively, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite inched lower by 0.13%.
Monday was also notable because it was the first day with e-commerce giant Amazon replacing Walgreens Boots Alliance as one of 30 members in the blue-chip Dow.
“It’s kind of one of those holding-pattern days,” said Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird, of Monday’s session. “You’re digesting so much of what happened last week with big earnings, and then you have big data on the horizon.”
Looking ahead, investors will watch Tuesday for economic data on durable goods, housing and consumer confidence. They’ll also watch for earnings reports from retailers Lowe’s and Macy’s before the bell, followed by Beyond Meat, Virgin Galactic and Rocket Lab after the market closes.
Those come before January’s reading of the closely watched personal consumption expenditure price index, as well as data on personal income, due later this week. Investors will watch these releases for future clues into the health of the economy and for insights into the path of monetary policy.
“PCE has the potential to be a big catalyst in either direction,” Mayfield said. “PCE is, by far, the biggest thing to keep an eye on.”
