- Dow Jones futures decline as traders adopt caution ahead of corporate reports from major retailers.
- Traders will likely observe the Fed’s July Meeting Minutes to gain cues on policy outlook.
- Market sentiment may draw support from any positive outcome toward a possible ending of the Ukraine-Russia war.
Dow Jones futures decline during European trading on Wednesday, ahead of the opening of North American markets, trading below 44,900, down by 0.23%. Moreover, S&P 500 futures fall 0.23% to trade near 6,400, while Nasdaq 100 futures depreciate by 0.31%, trading near 23,400.
US stock futures struggle ahead of corporate reports from major retailers. Traders also await the US Federal Reserve’s Minutes for the July meeting due later in the North American session. Market attention would shift toward the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium due on Thursday, with Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech for guidance on a September policy decision.
However, any positive development toward a possible resolution of the Ukraine-Russia war could lead to an improved market sentiment. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on Tuesday that plans for a bilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are now underway, according to CNN. Furthermore, US President Donald Trump announced that the US would not place American troops on the ground to help enforce a potential peace deal in Ukraine.
On Tuesday’s regular hours, Dow Jones Industrial Average steadied around 44,900, as Home building supplier Home Depot showed ongoing earnings growth in the second quarter. The S&P 500 fell 0.59% and the Nasdaq 1.39% as tech stocks sold off, with Nvidia down 3.5%, AMD 5.4%, and Palantir 9.4%.
Dow Jones FAQs
The Dow Jones Industrial Average, one of the oldest stock market indices in the world, is compiled of the 30 most traded stocks in the US. The index is price-weighted rather than weighted by capitalization. It is calculated by summing the prices of the constituent stocks and dividing them by a factor, currently 0.152. The index was founded by Charles Dow, who also founded the Wall Street Journal. In later years it has been criticized for not being broadly representative enough because it only tracks 30 conglomerates, unlike broader indices such as the S&P 500.
Many different factors drive the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA). The aggregate performance of the component companies revealed in quarterly company earnings reports is the main one. US and global macroeconomic data also contributes as it impacts on investor sentiment. The level of interest rates, set by the Federal Reserve (Fed), also influences the DJIA as it affects the cost of credit, on which many corporations are heavily reliant. Therefore, inflation can be a major driver as well as other metrics which impact the Fed decisions.
Dow Theory is a method for identifying the primary trend of the stock market developed by Charles Dow. A key step is to compare the direction of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the Dow Jones Transportation Average (DJTA) and only follow trends where both are moving in the same direction. Volume is a confirmatory criteria. The theory uses elements of peak and trough analysis. Dow’s theory posits three trend phases: accumulation, when smart money starts buying or selling; public participation, when the wider public joins in; and distribution, when the smart money exits.
There are a number of ways to trade the DJIA. One is to use ETFs which allow investors to trade the DJIA as a single security, rather than having to buy shares in all 30 constituent companies. A leading example is the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA). DJIA futures contracts enable traders to speculate on the future value of the index and Options provide the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell the index at a predetermined price in the future. Mutual funds enable investors to buy a share of a diversified portfolio of DJIA stocks thus providing exposure to the overall index.