Stock futures hold near flat after third straight all-time highs

The benchmark stretched to a third straight day of all-time highs.

Stock futures hold near flat after third straight all-time highs

Stock futures pointed to a muted session as the S&P 500 closed at a new all-time high, while Nasdaq 100 futures slipped about 0.2% and Dow futures rose roughly 0.3%. UnitedHealth jumped more than 9% after Berkshire Hathaway and Scion Asset Management disclosed stakes in the insurer. Intel rose more than 3% after a Bloomberg report that the Trump administration is discussing a government stake. The moves followed July data showing hotter producer prices, tempering earlier gains tied to a cooler CPI read. Through the week, the Dow leads with a 1.7% gain, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are up about 1.2%, and small caps rally as the Russell 2000 climbs 3.6%. Traders will have import prices, consumer sentiment, and retail sales on Friday to guide sentiment.

Markets are balancing inflation signals with policy headlines. A single data point rarely changes the inflation story, but the market acts as if data momentum will persist. The resilience of stocks despite hotter PPI hints at a belief that inflation will cool, though that view remains data dependent.

The stake bets by large investors and talk of a possible government stake add a political edge to market moves. If policy chatter sustains, leadership in equities could shift again, with smaller stocks showing appetite for risk while blue chips drift.

Highlights

Markets stay data driven and attentive to policy signals.