Stock Market Today: S&P 500, Nasdaq Futures Rise, WTI Fluctuates Following US Strike On Venezuela— GH Research, Vertiv Holdings, Nukkleus In Focus

U.S. stock futures rose in the first full trading week of the year on Monday after closing mixed on Friday. Futures of major benchmark indices were higher.

Over the weekend, the U.S. struck Venezuela and toppled Nicolás Maduro‘s regime. On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that U.S. oil companies are preparing to invest billions in Venezuela's oil industry, after the removal of President Maduro.

The objective, as stated by Trump, is to restore Venezuela's dilapidated oil infrastructure and kick-start revenue generation for the country.

Crude oil prices were swinging early on Monday, as WTI’s February Futures were trading 0.05% lower at $57.29 per barrel following the geopolitical developments.

Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.17%, and the two-year bond was at 3.46%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing an 82.3% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in January.

Futures	Change (+/-)
Dow Jones	0.02%
S&P 500	0.20%
Nasdaq 100	0.50%
Russell 2000	0.01%

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, were higher in premarket on Monday. The SPY was up 0.22% at $684.68, while the QQQ advanced 0.51% to $616.26, according to Benzinga Pro data.

Stocks In Focus

Vertiv Holdings

• Vertiv Holdings Co. (NYSE:VRT) shares jumped 1.62% in premarket on Monday after Barclays upgraded it to "overweight" from "equal weight,” as per an investing.com report, and the odds of the Ohio-based AI infrastructure provider joining the S&P 500 index stood at 75% on Polymarket.

• It maintains a stronger price trend over the short, medium, and long terms with a solid quality ranking. Additional performance details, as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings, are available here.

Nukkleus

• Nukkleus Inc. (NASDAQ:NUKK) rose 3.79% after closing its $14 million acquisition of Tiltan Software Engineering, an Israeli defense software company whose AI-driven technologies are embedded in defense programs.

• NUKK maintains a weaker price trend over the short, medium, and long terms. Additional performance details, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, are available here.

Ironwood Pharmaceuticals

• Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:IRWD) advanced 2.81% after the company issued FY26 guidance. Ironwood expects 2026 Linzess U.S. net sales of $1.125 billion-$1.175 billion, with total revenue expectation of $450 million-$475 million. The company expects 2026 adjusted EBITDA of over $300 million.

• Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that IRWD maintains a stronger price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a moderate value ranking. Additional performance details are available here.

Brand Engagement Network

• Brand Engagement Network Inc. (NASDAQ:BNAI) shares climbed 8.22% after recently announcing it has entered into a Vendor Services Project Agreement with a global advertising and communications agency.

• BNAI maintains a weaker price trend over the long term but a stronger trend in the medium and short terms. Additional performance details, as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings, are available here.

GH Research

• GH Research PLC (NASDAQ:GHRS) soared 19.05% after the company announced it would provide an update on its FDA IND status and Phase 3 program for GH001 in treatment-resistant depression.

• Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings show that GHRS maintains a stronger price trend over the short, medium, and long term. Additional information is available here.

Cues From Last Session

On Friday, the U.S. market saw broad gains with Energy, Industrials, Materials, Utilities, Health Care, Financials, Real Estate, and Information Technology finishing higher, while Consumer Staples, Communication Services, and Consumer Discretionary were the only sectors to decline.

Index	Performance (+/-)	Value
Nasdaq Composite	-0.027%	23,235.63
S&P 500	0.19%	6,858.47
Dow Jones	0.66%	48,382.39
Russell 2000	1.06%	2,508.22

Insights From Analysts

Based on the “Eye on the Market 2026 Outlook” by JPMorgan, the expectation for 2026 is one of continued, albeit challenged, strength in U.S. equity markets and economic stability, underpinned heavily by the technology sector and AI-related spending.

Specifically, JPMorgan anticipates a market trajectory similar to 2025: a potential “10%-15% correction at some point due to profit-taking and a growth scare,” but ultimately concluding the year with equity markets “higher than where they began.”

This optimism persists despite concerns over market concentration, where “65%-75% of S&P 500 returns, profits, and capital spending since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 have been derived from 42 companies linked to generative AI”.

Economically, the report highlights the outsized role of tech investment, noting that “tech sector capital spending contributed 40%-45% of U.S. GDP growth over the last three quarters” of 2025.

While inflation risks from tariffs and labor shortages remain, consumer spending is expected to “hold up in 2026,” aided by tax adjustments. However, the report cautions that “when markets are highly concentrated and near all-time highs, the right question to ask is what could go wrong.”

See Also: How to Trade Futures

Upcoming Economic Data

Here's what investors will be keeping an eye on this week.

• On Monday, December’s ISM manufacturing index data will be out by 10:00 a.m. ET and auto sales data will also be released.

• On Tuesday, Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin will speak at 8:00 a.m., and December’s S&P final U.S. services PMI will be out by 9:45 a.m. ET.

• On Wednesday, December’s ADP employment will be out by 8:30 a.m., December’s ISM services index data, November’s job opening data, and October’s U.S. factory orders data will be released by 10:00 a.m. Lastly, Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman will speak at 4:10 p.m. ET.

• On Thursday, initial jobless claims for the week ending Jan. 3, October’s U.S. trade deficit data, and the third quarter’s U.S. productivity data will be released by 3:00 p.m. Also, November’s U.S. consumer credit data will be announced by 3:00 p.m. ET.

• On Friday, December’s U.S. employment report will be out by 8:30 a.m., also December’s U.S. unemployment rate, hourly wages, October’s housing starts, and January’s UMich consumer sentiment will be released by 9:45 a.m. Lastly, Richmond Fed President Barkin will speak again at 1:35 p.m. ET.

Commodities, Gold, Crypto, And Global Equity Markets

Crude oil futures were trading lower in the early New York session by 0.05% to hover around $57.29 per barrel.

Gold Spot US Dollar rose 2.33% to hover around $4,431.49 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $4,550.11 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.25% higher at the 98.6690 level.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 1.3% higher at $92,517.31 per coin.

Asian markets closed higher on Friday, except India’s Nifty 50 index. China’s CSI 300, Japan's Nikkei 225, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, South Korea's Kospi, and Australia's ASX 200 indices rose. European markets were higher in early trade.

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