U.S. stock futures were higher Tuesday morning, as investors tried to resume the rally that took equities to record highs after a decline in the previous session. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures climbed 58 points, or 0.2%. Futures tied to the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 added 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively. The three major averages ended Monday lower. The 30-stock Dow dipped 0.4%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite fell around 0.3% each. The pullbacks come on the back of last week’s strong gains, during which the indexes reached new all-time closing high levels. Month to date, the major U.S. stock benchmarks are on pace for their fifth straight winning month. The broad market index is up more than 2% in March. The Nasdaq Composite is toting a 1.8% advance for the period, while the Dow is up 0.8%. Despite some concerns that the market rally has crossed into overbought territory, investors still can’t be underweight on equities as of now, according to 3Fourteen Research co-founder Warren Pies. “There are a lot of people who are underweight or under-exposed to this market, and they’re going to scramble to get exposed,” Pies told CNBC’s “Closing Bell: Overtime” on Monday. “I think the combination of a soft landing, a Fed that has your back and under-invested strategists and institutions means that this rally can keep going.” Economic data released Tuesday morning showed that orders for long-lasting goods in the U.S. rose by 1.4% in February, exceeding the 0.8% consensus from economists, according to StreetAccount. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell slightly on Tuesday as investors weighed the previous day’s data points and looked ahead to key inflation figures later in the week. 10-year yields were trading around unchanged at 4.26%. The yield on the 2-year Treasury yield was two basis points higher at 4.61%. Most Asia-Pacific markets rose Tuesday, with South Korea’s benchmark Kospi hitting two-year highs as investors digested a fresh batch of economic data. Japan’s service producer price index for February coming in at 2.1%. The Nikkei 225 closed flat at 40,398.03, while the broader Topix ended 0.11% higher at 2,780.80. Singapore’s manufacturing output increased 14.2% in February from January. January saw a 6.7% decline in manufacturing. The country’s Straits Times index rose 1.31%. South Korea’s Kospi was up 0.71% at 2,757.09, after hitting its highest level since February 2022 earlier in the day. The smaller-cap Kosdaq closed 0.26% higher at 916.09, touching its highest level since September. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.41% to end at 7,780.20, after coming close to its all-time high on Monday. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index climbed 1.1%, powered by energy and industrial stocks, while the mainland Chinese CSI 300 rose 0.51% to 3,543.75. Crude oil futures held steady on Tuesday as the wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East disrupt supplies. The West Texas Intermediate contract for May rose 19 cents, or 0.23%, to $82.14 a barrel. The Brent contract for May added 10 cents, or 0.12%, to $86.85 a barrel. Gold prices rose on Tuesday supported by a weaker dollar as investor focus turns to U.S. inflation data due later this week, which could shed more light on the timing of the Federal Reserve’s first interest rate cut this year. Spot gold rose 1.1% to $2,195.49 per ounce. U.S. gold futures added 0.9% to $2,218.7.
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