Opening Comment — Monday, February 09, 2026
DJIA: 50,115.67, up 1,206.95
S&P 500: 6,932.30, up 133.90
NASDAQ: 23,031.21, up 490.62
Stocks lower to start off week
Stock futures are lower Monday morning ahead of a slew of Federal Reserve (Fed) speakers scheduled for today. Investors are also awaiting this week’s delayed January jobs report and the January Consumer Price Index (CPI) release, due Wednesday and Friday, respectively. As of 7:14 AM ET, the Dow is decreasing 0.1%, while the S&P 500 is down 0.2%. The Nasdaq 100 is falling 0.3% relative to fair value on the GLOBEX.
U.S. equities were higher on Friday as the University of Michigan’s preliminary consumer sentiment index for February rose unexpectedly, while inflation expectations eased to 3.5% for the one year outlook and ticked up to 3.4% for the five to ten year horizon. Meanwhile, consumer credit showed a significantly larger-than-expected increase in December, expanding by $24.05 billion. The Dow was up 2.5% and reached a new record closing level of 50115.67, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 2.2%. The S&P 500 increased 2.0% with nine of 11 sectors finishing in positive territory. The Information Technology sector was the top performer, rising 4.1%, while the Communication Services sector was the bottom performer, falling 1.5%.
On the data front, the New York Fed will release their January Survey of Consumer Expectations, including a measure of inflation expectations.
Across the pond, European stocks are mostly higher in mid-day trading as the Sentix Investor Confidence Index for the eurozone improved more than expected in February.
Overnight in Asia, stocks were higher as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the Liberal Democratic Party won a super majority in the lower house elections over the weekend. Japan’s labor cash earnings registered weaker-than-projected growth of 2.4% year-over-year (YOY). Meanwhile, Japan’s balance of payments adjusted trade surplus narrowed more than expected in December. Australia’s household spending registered a smaller-than-expected increase of 5.0% YOY and declined by 0.4% month-over-month in December, against expectations of an increase.
In FOREX trading, the U.S. dollar is lower ahead of this week’s U.S. jobs report and CPI data.
Over in the commodity pits, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil is 0.4% higher at $63.81/barrel as the U.S. and Iran continue holding discussions.
In the metals complex, gold is 1.0% higher at $5,013.19/ounce following a weakening U.S. dollar.