Wall Street Set To Open In Positive Territory

(RTTNews) - Trading may be somewhat subdued on the first trading day of 2026 on Friday. Early signs from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open positive.

Asian shares finished lower, European shares are trading mostly up.

In the Asian trading session, the dollar made a feeble start to 2026. Oil climbed, while gold jumped nearly 1.5 percent.

This week, the U.S. payrolls report and jobless data may provide additional clues on interest-rates.

As of 7.30 am ET, the Dow futures were adding 196.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were progressing 40.00 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were up 245.75 points.

The U.S. major averages ended Wednesday lower. The Dow fell 303.77 points or 0.6 percent to 48,063.29, the Nasdaq slid 177.09 points or 0.8 percent to 23,241.99 and the S&P 500 declined 50.74 points or 0.7 percent to 6,845.50.

On the economic front, the PMI Manufacturing Final for December will be issued at 9.45 am ET. The consensus is 51.8, while the Flash index was 51.8.

The Construction Spending for November will be released at 10.00 am ET. The consensus is 0.0 percent, while it was up 0.2 percent in October.

The Fed Balance Sheet for the week will be published at 4.30 pm ET. In the prior week, the Level $6.581 trillion.

Asian stocks surged. Regional trading volumes were thin due to holidays in Japan, China and New Zealand.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng index soared 2.76 percent to 26,338.47.

The Kospi average climbed 2.27 percent to 4,309.63.

Australian markets edged up slightly. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.15 percent to 8,727.80. The broader All Ordinaries index settled 0.20 percent higher at 9,036.60.

European shares are trading mostly higher. Among the major indexes in the region, the CAC 40 Index of France is adding 26.44 points or 0.32 percent. The German DAX is progressing 53.45 points or 0.22 percent, the U.K. FTSE 100 Index is gaining 42.62 points or 0.43 percent.

The Swiss Market Index is adding 26.89 points or 0.20 percent.

The Euro Stoxx 50 Index, which is a compilation of 50 blue chip stocks across the euro area, is up 34.15 points or 0.59 percent.