Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, U.S., Jan. 6, 2026.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Stock futures traded near the flatline overnight after the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched fresh records.
Futures tied to the 30-stock Dow added 24 points, or 0.07%. S&P 500 futures gained 0.04%, while Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.07%.
Stocks climbed in Tuesday’s regular session as investors seemed to shrug off worries about the U.S. attack on Venezuela over the weekend. The blue-chip Dow jumped nearly 485 points, or 0.99%, to close above 49,000 for the first time. The S&P 500 also posted a record close after gaining about 0.6%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ended the day higher by roughly 0.7%
“The market’s reaction to the Venezuela news underscores the gap between headline risk and actual price action. While [Venezuelan President Nicolás] Maduro’s arrest is a notable geopolitical event, it carries no immediate implications for oil supply — the factor markets truly care about,” said Angelo Kourkafas, senior global investment strategist at Edward Jones.
“Meanwhile, the pro-cyclical rally that has unfolded since the start of the week reflects supportive fundamentals, including an expected broadening of earnings momentum both within and beyond mega-cap tech,” he added.
Nine out of 11 S&P 500 sectors ended the session higher, with gains in health care and tech boosting the index.
“Magnificent Seven” member Amazon and retail investor favorite Palantir each closed higher by more than 3%. Data storage plays SanDisk, Western Digital and Seagate were among the S&P 500’s top performers on Tuesday.
Looking ahead, Wells Fargo Investment Institute’s head of global investment strategy Paul Christopher said that “social calm” will be key for the direction of the U.S. stock market.
“If the current government does not cooperate with the U.S., or if the military or opposition lose patience awaiting elections, we could see a new round of the country’s long-simmering social chaos – a likely negative for U.S. equities,” Christopher said.
“If the U.S. can help the Venezuelan people to take better opportunity from their oil resources, and promote open and honest elections, then there is potential for the U.S. to help Venezuela and develop stronger economic ties between the U.S. and Latin America – a potential positive for U.S. markets,” he said.
