U.S. stock futures remained unchanged on Thursday night following a volatile start to the new trading year.
By 10:15 am AEDT (11:15 pm GMT) Dow Jones Industrial Average futures, S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures each traded within a range of 0.1%.
Thursday's session was marked by sharp swings, as the Dow finished 152 points or 0.4% lower after gaining more than 300 points earlier in the day. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both declined by 0.2%, reflecting profit-taking in high-performing 2024 stocks such as Apple and Tesla.
The choppy start follows a disappointing close to 2024. Despite the S&P 500’s impressive 23% annual gain, the index fell 2.5% in December and ended the year with a four-day losing streak, the first such instance since 1966.
Among data releases, the S&P Global U.S. Manufacturing PMI contracted for the sixth consecutive month amid falling production output and new orders.
The economic calendar for the week remains light, but investors are looking ahead to Friday's release of the ISM Manufacturing Index for fresh insights into economic conditions.
Federal Reserve officials Thomas Barkin and Mary Daly are also scheduled to speak, which could provide additional market direction.