5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens

The home stretch for 2024 is here. It’s expected to be a comparatively quiet week, with a shortened session tomorrow and a day off on Wednesday. Futures are mixed after stocks rose Friday to end the week with losses; traders are eying the possibility of a “Santa Claus Rally”; affairs in Washington, D.C., stabilized over the weekend, with President Biden signing a stopgap funding measure to avert a government shutdown; Honda and Nissan are moving closer to a big business combination; and some new stocks are joining the Nasdaq 100 index. Here’s what investors need to know today—and in the days ahead. 

1. US Stock Futures Mixed After Down Week

U.S. stock futures are mixed early Monday. S&P 500 futures are roughly flat, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures are lower, and Nasdaq futures are ticking upward. All three indexes finished Friday higher, rising 1% or more, but they also ended with weekly losses, weighed down in part by investor concerns that the Federal Reserve might not cut interest rates as far in 2025 as earlier hoped amid stubborn inflation. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield is slightly higher, recently trading at 4.54%. Oil and gold futures are edging lower. The U.S. dollar is ticking higher against a basket of foreign currencies. Bitcoin is trading up 1% at around $96,000.

2. A Light Schedule—With Some Time Off Coming

Unsurprisingly, perhaps, given that the winter holidays are upon us, there isn’t a ton to watch for today (or, for that matter, this week) on the economic or corporate calendars. That’s not to say there’s nothing—we’ve got a full rundown of weekly events for you here—but after a busy stretch of corporate earnings, economic indicators, and last week’s Fed meeting, things undoubtedly look lighter in the days ahead. And some of what’s happening is what’s not happening. Stock and bond trading closes early tomorrow and stays closed Wednesday for the Christmas holiday. Some traders will eye the possibility of a so-called Santa Claus Rally, which describes the tendency of stocks to rise during the period marked by five trading sessions of one year and the first two of the next. That, in this case, means the stretch starting after today’s close. 

3. Meanwhile, in Washington …

A bit of clarity emerged over the weekend after some drama in Washington, removing a measure of political uncertainty from investors’ calculations heading into the last few trading days of 2024 and next month’s inauguration of Donald Trump for a second presidential term. President Biden signed a stopgap bill that will fund the federal government through March, averting a shutdown—even as it also raised fresh questions about matters including possible Republican opposition to some of Trump’s policies, the position of current House Speaker Mike Johnson, and the future of the debt ceiling. 

4. Big Auto Tie-Up Motors Closer to Reality

Next year looks like it could bring a big-auto industry deal. Honda and Nissan said Monday that they “signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to start discussions and considerations toward a business integration between the two companies.” Their announcement, which solidifies reports and statements from last week, says the two Japanese companies will discuss forming a joint holding company. A combined company would list on the Tokyo stock exchange by August 2026, according to the companies’ announcement, which detailed reasons for the tie-up, including technology, supply-chain efficiencies, and cost savings. Both companies’ shares rose in Japanese trading. 

5. Nasdaq 100 Changes Take Effect Today

Some high-profile index changes take effect this morning, with MicroStrategy (MSTR), Palantir Technologies (PLTR), and Axon Enterprise (AXON)—shares of which are up about 470%, 370%, and 140%, respectively, year-to-date—joining the Nasdaq 100 ahead of the opening bell. The changes, which will pair with the removal of Super Micro Computer (SMCI), Moderna (MRNA), and Illumina (ILMN), were announced earlier this month. They follow several other recent high-profile index tweaks, including two changes to the S&P 500 and the addition of Nvidia (NVDA) to the Dow industrials, replacing Intel (INTC).