US stock futures were little changed Wednesday evening as Wall Street paused after a rocky session that ended multi-day rallies for major averages.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) rose slightly above the flatline, while contracts on the S&P 500 (ES=F) and Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) hugged the baseline.
During regular trading, both the S&P 500 (^GSPC) and the Dow (^DJI) closed lower despite hitting new intraday highs earlier in the session. The Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) outperformed, finishing modestly higher after shares of Alphabet (GOOG) surged more than 2%, briefly pushing Google’s parent company ahead of Apple (AAPL) in market value for the first time since 2019.
In a week marked by persistent geopolitical flashpoints, markets have largely remained resilient, though investors are increasingly mindful that escalating tensions could test that optimism as the year unfolds. The volatility was seen as oil prices retreated during day trading after President Trump said Venezuela will relinquish and send up to 50 million barrels of its crude to the US, while the US energy secretary announced that America will control the countries oil output “indefinitely going forward.”
Still, headline risk remains firmly on investors’ radar. This week, traders are watching for a Supreme Court decision on the legality of tariffs imposed under Trump, with Friday scheduled as an opinion day, offering the first chance for a legal retort to the levies.
In addition to the Supreme Court decision, Friday is due to be a significant day for insight into economic health as investors receive the December jobs report, which will see increased scrutiny as one of the larger data releases in a reduced slate of governmental output.
CES 2026 continues to provide make-or-break info for tech stocks. Intel (INTC) stock surged 6.5% following the announcement of the new Core Ultra 3 series chips. AI has dominated the information coming out of the convention, with Thursday’s lineup including a slew of US senators speaking on the legal and funding framework AI will operate under in the coming year.
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