Opening Comment — Monday, March 30, 2026
DJIA: 45,166.64, down 793.47
S&P 500: 6,368.85, down 108.31
NASDAQ: 20,948.36, down 459.72
Stocks higher to start off week
Stock futures are higher Monday morning as investors continue to assess developments in the Iran war, with hopes for deescalation rising following comments from President Donald Trump. Investors will also be looking forward to today’s comments from Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell, along with economic data out later this week with the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index and jobs report for March, out Wednesday and Friday, respectively. As of 7:20 AM ET, the Dow and the S&P 500 Index are both rising 0.6%. The Nasdaq 100 is increasing 0.5% relative to fair value on the GLOBEX.
U.S. equities were lower on Friday as the finalized reading of March consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan fell to 53.3 from the preliminary reading of 55.5, while the inflation expectations rose to 3.8% for the one-year outlook and remained steady at 3.2% for the five-to-ten-year horizon. The Dow was down 1.7%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 2.2%. The S&P 500 decreased 1.7% with eight of 11 sectors finishing in negative territory. The Energy sector was the top performer, rising 1.9%, while the Consumer Discretionary sector was the bottom performer, falling 3.1%.
On the data front, the Dallas Fed’s Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey for March will be released, with the general business activity index expected to come in at 1.5, up from the prior month’s 0.2.
Across the pond, European stocks are mixed in mid-day trading as the U.K. mortgage approvals increased in February. Meanwhile, the eurozone’s finalized reading of consumer confidence index for March came in at a negative 16.3, similar to the initial reading.
Overnight in Asia, stocks were mostly lower as China’s finalized fourth-quarter current account surplus widened to $243.8 billion on a balance-of-payments basis.
In FOREX trading, the U.S. dollar is slightly higher ahead of the U.S. jobs report scheduled for release on Friday.
Over in the commodity pits, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is 2.1% higher at $101.74/barrel following further concerns over oil transportation as Houthis launched strikes on Israel.
In the metals complex, gold is 0.9% higher at $4,532.48/ounce despite a strengthening U.S. dollar.