Stocks Slip Before the Open as Investors Weigh Trump Policy Shifts, U.S. Economic Data on Tap

March S&P 500 E-Mini futures (ESH26) are down -0.19%, and March Nasdaq 100 E-Mini futures (NQH26) are down -0.28% this morning, pointing to further losses on Wall Street as investors digest a flurry of announcements from U.S. President Donald Trump on the U.S. housing and defense industries.

President Trump announced on Truth Social on Wednesday that he plans to ban large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes in a bid to lower home prices. Mr. Trump also targeted defense contractors, saying he would prohibit dividend payments and stock buybacks while pledging to cap executives’ pay. Later, the president called for U.S. defense spending to increase to $1.5 trillion in 2027, sending defense stocks soaring in pre-market trading. Investors also weighed the latest U.S. moves on Venezuela, including a plan to take control of the Venezuelan oil industry and the seizure of two tankers.

Investors now await a new round of U.S. economic data.

In yesterday’s trading session, Wall Street’s three main equity benchmarks ended mixed. Shares of data storage companies retreated, with Western Digital (WDC) slumping over -8% to lead losers in the Nasdaq 100 and Seagate Technology Holdings (STX) falling more than -6%. Also, defense stocks sank after President Trump said he would bar U.S. defense contractors from issuing dividends or buying back their own shares until they invest more in production and research, with Northrop Grumman (NOC) sliding over -5% and Lockheed Martin (LMT) dropping more than -4%. In addition, Apogee Enterprises (APOG) plunged over -13% after the company cut its full-year adjusted EPS guidance. On the bullish side, Intel (INTC) climbed more than +6% and was the top percentage gainer on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 after the company unveiled its Core Ultra Series 3 processors, the first consumer chips produced using its 18A manufacturing process.

The ADP National Employment report released on Wednesday showed that U.S. private nonfarm payrolls rose by +41K in December, weaker than expectations of +49K. Also, the U.S. JOLTs job openings fell to a 14-month low of 7.146 million in November, weaker than expectations of 7.610 million. In addition, U.S. October factory orders fell -1.3% m/m, weaker than expectations of -1.1% m/m. At the same time, the U.S. ISM services index unexpectedly rose to 54.4 in December, stronger than expectations of 52.2.

“The November JOLTS data suggests that the labor market continues to gradually soften with fewer job openings than expected and hires falling more than layoffs, but this further cooling seems unlikely to meet the higher bar for another near-term rate cut that was set after the December FOMC meeting,” according to Marco Casiraghi, economist at Evercore ISI.

Meanwhile, U.S. rate futures have priced in an 86.2% probability of no rate change and a 13.8% chance of a 25 basis point rate cut at January’s monetary policy meeting.

Today, investors will focus on U.S. Initial Jobless Claims data, which is set to be released in a couple of hours. Economists expect this figure to be 213K, compared to last week’s number of 199K.

U.S. Unit Labor Costs and Nonfarm Productivity data will also be closely watched today. The preliminary third-quarter figures were originally scheduled for release on November 6th, but were delayed due to the government shutdown. Economists forecast Q3 Unit Labor Costs to be unchanged q/q and Nonfarm Productivity to be +4.9% q/q, compared to the second-quarter numbers of +1.0% q/q and +3.3% q/q, respectively.

U.S. Trade Balance data for October will be released today. The data was originally scheduled for release on December 4th, but was delayed due to the fallout from the shutdown. Economists anticipate that the trade deficit will widen to -$58.1 billion from -$52.8 billion in September.

U.S. Wholesale Inventories data will come in today. Economists forecast that the final October figure will come in at +0.2% m/m.

The Fed’s Consumer Credit report will be released today as well. Economists expect the U.S. Consumer Credit to be $10.1 billion in November, compared to the previous figure of $9.2 billion.

In the bond market, the yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note is at 4.16%, up +0.02%.

The Euro Stoxx 50 Index is down -0.32% this morning, extending losses from the previous session. Mining and retail stocks led the declines on Thursday. Limiting losses, defense stocks advanced after U.S. President Donald Trump called for higher defense spending. Data from statistics agency Destatis released on Thursday showed that Germany’s monthly factory orders unexpectedly jumped in November, with large-scale orders once again supporting the manufacturing sector as tariff-related uncertainties eased. Separately, data showed that the Eurozone’s unemployment rate unexpectedly fell in November for the first time in seven months, highlighting the resilience of the labor market. In addition, a European Central Bank survey showed that Eurozone consumers left their inflation expectations unchanged in November, anticipating a gradual slowdown in price growth toward the ECB’s 2% target in the years ahead. Meanwhile, ECB Vice President Luis de Guindos said on Thursday that the current level of interest rates in the Eurozone is appropriate, though monetary policy could change depending on circumstances. Also, ECB policymaker Alvaro Santos Pereira urged governments to do more to boost growth in the Eurozone, saying central bank policy had done its part to support the economy and there was no need to change interest rates. In corporate news, Associated British Foods Plc (ABF.LN) plunged over -11% after issuing a profit warning, citing weakness at its Primark clothing retailer and parts of its food businesses. Also, Greggs Plc (GRG.LN) slumped over -6% after cautioning about weak consumer confidence.

Germany’s Factory Orders, Eurozone’s Business and Consumer Survey, Eurozone’s Consumer Confidence, Eurozone’s PPI, and Eurozone’s Unemployment Rate were released today.

The German November Factory Orders unexpectedly rose +5.6% m/m, stronger than expectations of -0.9% m/m.

Eurozone’s December Business and Consumer Survey arrived at 96.7, weaker than expectations of 97.0.

Eurozone’s December Consumer Confidence came in at -13.1, stronger than expectations of -14.6.

Eurozone’s November PPI rose +0.5% m/m and fell -1.7% y/y, stronger than expectations of +0.4% m/m and -1.9% y/y.

Eurozone’s November Unemployment Rate was 6.3%, stronger than expectations of 6.4%.

Asian stock markets today closed in the red. China’s Shanghai Composite Index (SHCOMP) closed down -0.07%, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Index (NIK) closed down -1.63%.

China’s Shanghai Composite Index closed slightly lower today, taking a breather after a strong rally that brought the benchmark to its highest level in more than a decade. Financial stocks retreated on Thursday as investors booked profits following a recent rally. At the same time, AI-related stocks climbed after China pledged to achieve a secure and reliable supply of core AI technologies by 2027. Semiconductor stocks also advanced after a report said Beijing had asked some Chinese tech firms to halt orders for Nvidia’s H200 chips and was expected to require purchases of domestic AI chips. Meanwhile, UOB Kay Hian analysts said in a note that Chinese equities are likely to perform well in the first quarter, buoyed by a favorable global liquidity backdrop and anticipated new macroeconomic support from Beijing. In other news, China’s industry ministry said on Thursday it had called on battery manufacturers to optimize industry capacity and mitigate the risks of overcapacity. In corporate news, three Chinese tech companies—Knowledge Atlas Technology, Shanghai Iluvatar CoreX, and Shenzhen Edge Medical—debuted higher in Hong Kong on Thursday after collectively raising $1.19 billion. Investors are awaiting China’s December inflation data, scheduled for release on Friday, which will provide insight into the strength of domestic demand.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Index closed lower today as escalating tensions between China and Japan triggered a new wave of profit-taking. Technology stocks led the declines on Thursday. Also, shares of chemical makers slumped after China on Wednesday launched an anti-dumping investigation into a key chipmaking material from Japan. The move marked the latest escalation in a dispute sparked by comments on Taiwan made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in early November. Government data released on Thursday showed that Japan’s real wages declined in November at the fastest pace since last January, weighed down by a sharp fall in one-off bonus payments. Real wages, a key gauge of consumer purchasing power, dropped 2.8% in November from a year earlier, compared with a revised 0.8% decline in October. Meanwhile, the Bank of Japan said on Thursday that regional economies were gradually recovering and many businesses saw the need to keep raising wages in fiscal 2026, signaling confidence in its outlook that could justify further interest rate hikes. The BOJ kept its economic assessment unchanged for all nine regions from three months earlier, saying they were picking up or gradually recovering. In other news, foreign investors bought a net 124.9 billion yen worth of Japanese stocks in the week through January 3rd, marking a second consecutive week of net foreign inflows, according to data from Japan’s Ministry of Finance. The Nikkei Volatility Index, which takes into account the implied volatility of Nikkei 225 options, closed down -1.68% to 30.47.

Pre-Market U.S. Stock Movers

Intuit (INTU) fell over -1% in pre-market trading after Wells Fargo downgraded the stock to Equal Weight from Overweight.

Defense stocks climbed in pre-market trading after President Trump called for U.S. defense spending to increase to $1.5 trillion in 2027, with Northrop Grumman (NOC) surging over +7% and Lockheed Martin (LMT) rising more than +6%.

Alphabet (GOOGL) rose about +0.8% in pre-market trading after Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded the stock to Overweight from Neutral with a price target of $370.

Applied Digital (APLD) advanced over +6% in pre-market trading after the company posted upbeat FQ2 results.

Constellation Brands (STZ) gained nearly +2% in pre-market trading after the distributor of Corona and Modelo beers reported better-than-feared FQ3 results.

You can see more pre-market stock movers here

Today’s U.S. Earnings Spotlight: Thursday - January 8th

RPM (RPM), Acuity Brands (AYI), Commercial Metals (CMC), WD-40 (WDFC), Simply Good Foods (SMPL), Neogen (NEOG), Greenbrier (GBX), Lindsay (LNN), Aehr Test Systems (AEHR), Helen of Troy Ltd (HELE), Simulations Plus (SLP), Northern Technologies (NTIC).