Dow Jones futures rise as US Senate advances to end shutdown
Dow Jones futures gain 0.18% to trade above 47,150 during European hours ahead of the opening of the United States (US) regular session on Monday. Moreover, the S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 gained by 0.70% and 1.24%, with trading around 6,800 and 25,450, respectively.
US index futures appreciate after US Senate advances a government funding bill to end the shutdown, moving it closer toward passage by voting 60-40 in the first approval on extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. The amended proposal would still have to be passed by the House of Representatives and sent to President Donald Trump for his signature, a process that could take several days.
Additionally, US stock indices gain ground amid increased risk-on sentiment, driven by easing trade tensions between the two world’s largest economies, the United States (US) and China. China’s Ministry of Commerce said that it would temporarily lift its ban on approving exports of “dual-use items” related to gallium, germanium, antimony, and super-hard materials to the US. The suspension takes effect from Sunday until November 27, 2026.
Wall Street slumped last week as worries over stretched AI valuations triggered a selloff in tech stocks. In corporate developments, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang revealed he had asked TSMC to increase chip production to meet soaring AI demand, while Pfizer agreed to acquire Metsera for up to $10 billion, outbidding Novo Nordisk.
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.