US stock futures were flat in early morning trading on Wednesday as investors digested the first part of corporate earnings.
The average futures of Dow Jones Industrial implied a gain of only 6 points at the Open. The S&P 500 futures rose 0.1% and the Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.2%.
JPMorgan Chase, the first major bank to report earnings for the first quarter, beat analysts’ estimates of sales and earnings in part by releasing reserves of $ 2.9 billion. JPMorgan’s shares were down 0.8% in premarket trading.
On Tuesday, the S&P 500 rose 0.4% to close at a record high. Stocks shook off calls by the Food and Drug Administration to halt Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine delivery after six people in the U.S. developed a rare blood clot disorder. Moderna stock rose more than 7% on the news.
After Tuesday’s bell, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said the drug maker could deliver 10% more vaccine doses to the US than previously expected by the end of May. Also, Moderna said his Covid-19 vaccine was more than 90% effective against the virus six months after a person was shot twice.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained more than 1% on Tuesday, with Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, Netflix, Microsoft and Tesla all closing higher.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 68 points after losing more than 150 points at the start of the session.
The Department of Labor’s consumer price index fell a little hotter than expected on Tuesday. The CPI rose by 0.6% on the previous month, but by 2.6% on the same period of the previous year. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones forecast an increase in the overall index of 0.5% compared to the previous month and 2.5% compared to the previous year.
Investors prepare for the first wave of corporate earnings on Wednesday when JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs and Wells Fargo report before the bell. Bank stocks have so far risen sharply this year, with the KBW Bank Index clearly outperforming the S&P 500.
Analysts expect a strong investment banking result. In addition, the release of credit reserves could lead to high profit figures.
Market participants will also pay attention to Coinbase’s direct listing on Wednesday. Crypto investors are hailing the company’s public debut as a major milestone for the industry after years of skepticism from Wall Street and regulators. Bitcoin price rose to a new record high of more than $ 63,500 on Tuesday.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell will speak at the Economic Club of Washington on Wednesday at 12:00 noon on the economic recovery from the pandemic.
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