US pre-open: Stocks seen up ahead of busy week

(Sharecast News) - US stock futures pointed to a firmer start on Monday ahead of a busy week that will end with the release of the latest non-farm payrolls report. At 1100 GMT, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were flat, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures were up 0.4% and 0.7%, respectively.

US stock markets will be closed on Thursday to mark the death of former President Jimmy Carter.

Patrick Munnelly at Tickmill Group said: "The first full trading week of 2025 is set to be a fascinating and potentially busy time for global markets, culminating with the release of US December employment figures on Friday.

"Market participants will also be paying close attention to the minutes from the Federal Reserve's December meeting and remarks from Fed officials for insights into future policy directions. According to a Reuters poll, a rise of 150,000 in US non-farm payrolls is anticipated, following an increase of 227,000 in November, while the unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 4.2%.

"The US economic calendar is packed with data releases, including the December ISM services PMI, final S&P Global PMIs, ADP employment figures, JOLTS job openings, November factory orders and trade data, weekly jobless claims, and preliminary January consumer sentiment and inflation expectations from the University of Michigan."

Minutes from the Fed's 17-18 December meeting will be released on Wednesday, while Fed officials such as Thomas Barkin, Jeffrey Schmid and Patrick Harker are scheduled to speak.

On the macro front on Monday, the S&P Global services PMI for December is due at 1445 GMT, while factory orders for November are scheduled for release at 1500 GMT.