S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures rose Wednesday, led by early gains in Netflix, after the streaming giant posted blockbuster quarterly results. Futures contracts tied to the broad market index advanced 0.4%, while those associated with the Nasdaq-100 jumped 0.8%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gained 61 points, or 0.1%. Netflix shares soared more than 14% after the company surpassed 300 million paid memberships. It’s fourth-quarter earnings and revenue also topped analyst expectations. The streamer’s results got a boost from hit series “Squid Game” and live sporting events such as the Jake Paul and Mike Tyson boxing match. United Airlines gained more than 3% after the airline operator posted a rosy outlook and issued fourth-quarter results that surpassed expectations. Earnings season continues Wednesday, with reports from Procter & Gamble set to release. Halliburton and GE Vernova will also post results. Traders also kept an eye on Washington after President Donald Trump said Tuesday he’s considering a 10% tariff on China beginning as soon as Feb. 1. Trump also announced a joint venture dubbed “Stargate,” with OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank to invest ″$500 billion, at least” in AI infrastructure in the United States. Wall Street is coming off a winning session. The Dow rallied more than 500 points on Tuesday, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq climbed 0.9% and 0.6%, respectively. Those moves come after Trump’s first-day comments around trade policy mostly assuaged traders who worried they’d be far more severe. The president said he is considering tariffs of 25% on imports from Mexico and Canada. He also mentioned a tax on imports from China, but stopped short of authorizing new tariffs. “Today, it’s been a relief, right, that we didn’t get something stronger than we were expecting,” Liz Young Thomas, SoFi head of investment strategy, said Tuesday on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.” However, she cautioned investors against complacency, as any future tariffs have the potential to spur retaliatory tariffs. “There could be more announcements that come — if and when we decide that we are going to place tariffs on — that are more concrete,” she continued. “Then you get this retaliation effect from other countries, and that drives a lot of the issues in markets.” Treasury yields were little changed Wednesday as investors awaited more economic data and digested U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest comments. At 7:06 a.m. ET, the 10-year Treasury yield rose less than 1 basis point to 4.58%. The 2-year Treasury yield dropped less than 1 basis point to 4.276%. Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Wednesday, with China stocks declining after President Donald Trump’s comments on imposing a 10% tariff on China. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.33% to close at 8,429.8. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 1.58% to end at 39,646.25, and the Topix rose 0.87% to close at 2,737.19. South Korea’s Kospi added 1.15% to close at 2,547.06, while the Kosdaq traded 0.86% higher to close at 732.31. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropped 1.72% in its final hour of trade, while mainland China’s CSI 300 fell 0.93% to close at 3,797.02. Trump said that his team was discussing a 10% tariff on China and that the duty could take effect as early as Feb. 1. India’s Nifty 50 rebounded slightly, adding 0.28% after falling to its lowest since last June on Tuesday. Similarly, the BSE Sensex climbed 0.46%. Oil prices edged higher on Wednesday as the dollar weakened, with traders closely watching U.S. inventories, President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs and the potential impact of the national energy emergency he declared on his first day in office. Brent crude futures rose 43 cents, or 0.54%, to $79.72 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed 45 cents, or 0.59%, to $76.28. Oil is getting support from a marginally weaker U.S. dollar as well as positive risk sentiment with rising equity markets, said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo. Prices of safe-haven gold rose to a near three-month high on Wednesday, boosted by uncertainty surrounding U.S. President Trump’s policies and a softer dollar. Spot gold added 0.6% to $2,759.83 per ounce as of 0941 GMT. The price hit its highest since Nov. 1 earlier in the session and is close to its record peak of $2,790.15 hit in October. U.S. gold futures gained 0.4% to $2,771.10. Spot silver rose 0.1% to $30.89, hovering near a one-month high hit on Jan. 16.
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