U.S. stock index futures advanced on the first trading day of 2026, recovering after Wall Street logged declines in the last few sessions of 2025, as improving investor sentiment increased risk appetite.
Market Snapshot
At 7:25 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 189 points, or 0.39%, S&P 500 E-minis were up 37.75 points, or 0.55%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 235.75 points, or 0.93%.
Pre-Market Movers
Tesla - Tesla gained 1.3% in premarket trading. The electric-vehicle maker expected to release fourth-quarter delivery figures on Friday. The company-compiled consensus of 20 brokers predicts deliveries of 422,850 vehicles.
Other big tech and chip stocks also jumped. Direxion Daily Semiconductors Bull 3x Shares and STMicroelectronics rose 6%; ASML rose 5%; Micron, TSMC, Western Digital, Arm, and SanDisk rose 3%; Super Micro Computer, Marvell Technology, Seagate, Palantir, Intel, AMD, Nvidia, and Oracle rose 2%; Broadcom and Alphabet rose 1%.
Chinese ADRs - Chinese ADRs jumped in premarket trading, as investors expected Beijing’s ‘policy pivot’ to continue, with a focus on demand-side stimulus and stabilising the housing market, analyst said. Leading the advance, search-engine giant Baidu jumped 12%, after it said its AI chip unit Kunlunxin filed a listing application with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Thursday.
In terms of other companies and ETFs, Direxion Daily FTSE China Bull 3X Shares rose 9%; NetEase and Bilibili rose 6%; NIO rose 5%; Alibaba rose 4%; Pony AI, JD.com, and Li Auto rose 3%; PDD Holdings rose 2%.
Silver and gold stocks and ETFs - Silver and gold stocks and ETFs jumped in premarket trading, as precious metals kicked off the new year higher after a robust 2025 rally. ProShares Ultra Silver rose 10%; iShares Silver Trust rose 5%; Endeavour Silver rose 4%; First Majestic Silver and Pan American Silver rose 3%.
Coeur Mining rose 4%; Kinross and Hecla Mining rose 3%; Barrick Mining, Agnico Eagle Mines, Anglogold Ashanti, Newmont Mining, Harmony Gold, SPDR Gold ETF, and Gold Fields rose 2%.
Wayfair, RH - Wayfair rose 2.4% and RH gained 4.3% after President Donald Trump delayed by a year tariff increases on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets, and vanities that were set to go into effect Thursday.
Market News
Tesla Sales Fall in Key European Markets but Set Record in Norway
Tesla registrations fell in some key European markets in December, but surged in Norway confirming a trend of record sales in Europe's EV trailblazer while the U.S. automaker's market share crumbled across the rest of the region in 2025.
Elon Musk's EV brand has seen slowing sales in Europe since late 2024 due to growing competition, its aging lineup and protests against Musk's public praise of European right-wing political figures. It is also expected to report a sharp drop in global fourth-quarter delivery numbers later on Friday.
Despite the launch of cheaper versions of Tesla's Model Y and Model 3 across Europe, its business has not yet recovered.
Precious Metals Start 2026 Strong on Rate-Cut Optimism, Global Risks
Precious metals kicked off the New Year on a strong note on Friday, rebounding from year-end declines as tensions between major powers and U.S. rate cut hopes boosted investor appetite for bullion.
Spot gold climbed nearly 2% to $4,397.66 per ounce, as of 1102 GMT, after hitting a record high of $4,549.71 on December 26. It had dropped to a two-week low on Wednesday.
Spot silver advanced 4.6% to $74.52 per ounce, after hitting an all-time high of $83.62 on Monday, while platinum jumped 4.7% at $2,150.46 per ounce, after rising to an all-time high of $2,478.50 on Monday.
