Stock Futures Rise to Begin 2026; Major Indexes Look to Snap 4-Session Skids

Stock futures pointed higher Friday to ring in the new year after major equities indexes ended 2025 on four-session losing streaks.

After markets were closed yesterday for New Year’s Day, Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up a respective 1%, 0.6%, and 0.4%, with AI-related stocks leading advances.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq, benchmark S&P 500, and blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average finished lower for a fourth straight session Wednesday following a five-session winning streak through Christmas Eve, but still closed the year up about 20%, 16%, and 13%, respectively, powered by strong advances from several AI-tied firms.

U.S.-listed shares of Chinese firm Baidu (BIDU) soared 12% before the bell after its AI chip unit, Kunlunxin, filed to go public in Hong Kong. Micron Technology (MU), whose stock soared 239% in 2025, rose about 3% in early trading, while Nvidia (NVDA) and Intel (INTC) were up 1.5% and 1.8%, respectively.

Elsewhere, Tesla (TSLA) shares rose 1.3% ahead of its expected fourth-quarter deliveries figures, while those of RH (RH) and Wayfair (W) advanced roughly 3.5% and 2.5%, respectively, after President Donald Trump delayed tariffs on imported furniture.

After surging in 2025, gold futures rose about 1.5% to $4,405 an ounce. West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, were down 0.2% to $57.30 per barrel.

The 10-year Treasury yield, which influences interest rates on a variety of commercial and consumer loans, ticked lower to 4.15% from Wednesday’s close of 4.17%.

Bitcoin was trading around $89,400, up from the day’s low of below $88,200. The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the value of the greenback against a basket of foreign currencies, edged higher to 98.46.