Daily Fundamental Analysis: US stock futures open higher following last week’s decline

US stock futures edged higher in early trading today as investors prepared for a week of major central bank decisions. S&P 500 futures rose 0.2%, Dow futures gained 0.3%, and Nasdaq-100 futures advanced 0.3%, following Friday’s selloff.
Oil prices fell more than 2%, with Brent at $114.49 per barrel and WTI at $101.00, after concerns about potential US-Israeli strikes on Iran had pushed crude to its highest level since April.
Central banks are the main focus this week. The Federal Reserve announces its decision on Wednesday, followed by the ECB on Thursday and the Bank of Japan on Friday. Markets largely expect the Fed to hold rates at 3.75%–4%.
Asian markets were mixed on the first trading day of the week, with Japan’s Topix rising 0.4%, while the Nikkei 225 fell 0.2%. South Korea’s Kospi declined 0.3%, while the small-cap Kosdaq dropped 1.1%.
Gold recovered above the $4,000 level on Monday, rebounding from a three-month low as a weaker US dollar and falling Treasury yields provided support.
Stronger US economic data and persistent inflation concerns continued to weigh on gold’s outlook. Inflationary pressures remain elevated, potentially keeping the Fed hawkish and limiting gold’s upside.







