U.S. stock futures declined on Monday, as the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100 indices fell, following Friday’s higher close.
This tracked a sharp sell-off across Asian equities as surging U.S. Treasury yields and volatile crude prices weighed heavily on risk assets.
Meanwhile, oil prices climbed after President Donald Trump rejected a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that while Tehran wants to “forge peace,” the nation is “fully prepared for the time for the war to be resumed.”
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 5.22%, and the 2-year Treasury bond yielded 4.91%, at the last check. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool projections show markets pricing in a 70.3% likelihood of the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates after its October meeting.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | -0.42% |
| S&P 500 | -0.51% |
| Nasdaq 100 | -1.02% |
| Russell 2000 | -0.62% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, fell in premarket on Monday. The SPY was down 0.51% at $767.38, while the QQQ declined 1.30% to $736.85.
Information technology, industrials, and financial stocks posted the largest gains Friday, while energy and communication services bucked the broader trend to finish lower.
| Index | Performance (+/-) | Value |
| Dow Jones | 0.93% | 51,828.62 |
| S&P 500 | 0.51% | 7,743.41 |
| Nasdaq Composite | 0.48% | 27,068.72 |
| Russell 2000 | 0.070% | 2,837.55 |
Mohamed El-Erian highlights a striking divergence between a resilient U.S. stock market and rising economic headwinds. Despite surging bond yields topping 5%, U.S. equities have managed to "defy gravity," bolstered by strong earnings, "American technological exceptionalism," and overall "corporate agility and entrepreneurship." Overseas appetite for U.S. assets remains robust, insulating equity markets from the immediate pressures of higher borrowing costs.
However, El-Erian signals caution regarding the broader economy and future market stability. He notes a “widening divergence in the US between hard economic data and softer data,” emphasizing weakening consumer sentiment alongside sticky, elevated inflation expectations. With Federal Reserve officials hinting at additional rate hikes, El-Erian warns that monetary tightening alone cannot solve price pressures, arguing central bank hikes shouldn’t be the “only game in town.”
Crucially, he flags a growing structural concern for financial stability: the heightened risk that "interest rate risk could mutate into credit risk" as corporate borrowers confront an "approaching maturity wall." Ultimately, while corporate earnings currently shield stocks, tightening financial conditions and economic fragmentation present persistent underlying risks.
Here’s what investors will be keeping an eye on this week.
Crude Oil WTI futures were trading higher in the early New York session by 3.31% to hover around $95.57 per barrel.
Gold Spot US Dollar fell 3.25% to hover around $4,146.37 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.14% higher at the 101.1150 level.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 2.10% lower at $82,861.65 per coin over the last 24 hours.
Asian markets were lower on Monday, except for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and Australia’s ASX 200 indices. Japan’s Nikkei 225, South Korea’s Kospi, China’s CSI 300, and India’s Nifty 50 indices fell. European markets were higher in early trading.
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