US stock futures moved higher on Monday as markets entered a critical week dominated by the Federal Reserve’s final policy meeting of 2025. Traders positioned cautiously, yet optimistically, ahead of Wednesday’s rate decision, with expectations for a cut now nearing their strongest levels of the year.
S&P 500 futures (ES=F) edged up 0.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures (NQ=F) gained 0.3% after four straight days of advances. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) hovered slightly above the flatline as of early Monday.
Futures data held a narrow range. Mini Dow futures traded at 47,997.00, down 0.01%. S&P 500 futures stood at 6,887.25 (+0.13%). Nasdaq 100 futures rose to 25,789.50 (+0.22%).
The move comes after two consecutive weekly gains for major US benchmarks. Last week, the S&P 500 gained 0.3%, the Dow rose 0.5%, and the Nasdaq climbed 0.9%, supported by a softer September PCE inflation reading that kept core price pressures muted.
Markets watching the Fed closely this week
The Federal Reserve begins its final FOMC meeting of the year on Tuesday, with Chair Jerome Powell set to deliver Wednesday’s statement and press conference. Markets have become increasingly confident that the Fed will cut rates for the first time since the inflation cycle began.
According to CME FedWatch, traders now assign an 88% probability of a rate cut — a sharp jump from 67% a month ago.
The shift reflects cooling inflation data, slowing job openings, and growing concerns that tighter policy may damage labor-market resilience. A heavy economic calendar adds to the week’s momentum.
The long-delayed October JOLTS report arrives Tuesday, providing new detail on U.S. hiring activity, layoffs, and quits. Last week’s mixed labor prints have heightened interest, as investors search for signs of weakening demand that could justify policy easing.
Later in the week, fresh inflation indicators and claims data will offer additional context on economic cooling, consumer resilience, and wage pressures.
Stocks moving in US pre-market trading
Several high-volatility names led early action.
Top pre-market gainers
- Cemtrex (CETX): up 75.9% at $5.40
- Top Wealth Group (TWG): up 101.83% at $12.13
- Treasure Global (TGL): up 112.26% at $54.00
- Confluent (CFLT): up 32.24% at $30.60
- MetaVia (MTVA): up 50.70% at $12.33
Notable movers
- iRobot (IRBT): up 7.32%
- NVIDIA (NVDA): slightly lower at $181.96, down 0.25%
- Netflix (NFLX): up 1.06%
- Fluence Energy (FLNC): down 3.88%
The moves suggest a risk-on tone among small-cap and momentum traders despite broader caution ahead of the Fed.
Earnings to watch: Oracle, Adobe, Broadcom, Costco
Earnings season remains in focus with several mega-caps reporting.
- Oracle (ORCL) and Adobe (ADBE) release quarterly results on Wednesday.
- Broadcom (AVGO) and Costco (COST) follow on Thursday.
These numbers will provide a late-year check on cloud demand, AI investment, enterprise spending, and US consumer strength.
Silver price today: Precious metal holds just below all-time high
Silver prices hovered near historic highs after a powerful surge driven by ETF inflows and shifting rate expectations.
COMEX silver (SI=F) traded at $58.855, down 0.34% in early Monday action, after jumping more than 2% in the previous session.
Total holdings of silver-backed ETFs increased by 590 tons last week, the strongest inflow since July — a sign of aggressive investor positioning ahead of an anticipated Fed rate cut.
Silver briefly peaked at $59.3336 on Friday, putting it within a dollar of its all-time record.
The metal’s rally is also being fueled by the aftershocks of a historic short squeeze in London, which has tightened market supply and amplified volatility.
Gold edged higher as well, benefiting from expectations that lower U.S. interest rates will boost demand for non-yielding stores of value.