As investors evaluated geopolitical developments following a US military action in Venezuela that resulted in the resignation and detention of President Nicolás Maduro, US stock futures saw minimal movement on Sunday night.
While S&P 500 futures (ES=F) slightly increased, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) remained below the flatline. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) increased by almost 0.3%.
After a mixed conclusion to last week's session, there is futures action. The Nasdaq (^IXIC) ended the day essentially flat, but the S&P 500 (^GSPC) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) closed higher. But as investors entered the first full week of the new year, attention turned to the US military action in Venezuela early in the weekend.
The United States will "run" Venezuela "until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition," according to President Trump's statement on Saturday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke in a more subdued manner on Sunday, stating that the US had "a tremendous amount of leverage" to accomplish its goals without explicitly stating that Washington will run the nation directly.
The long-term economic consequences were mainly minimized by market strategists. The potential impact on energy markets is limited because Venezuela now produces less than 1 million barrels of oil per day, or less than 1% of the world's total.
But short-term supply issues suggest that oil prices will probably increase in the days ahead. Late Sunday saw a little decline in West Texas Intermediate (CL=F), the US benchmark, and worldwide benchmark Brent (BZ=F) crude.
In the meanwhile, investors will be pleased to see the flow of economic data return to normal this week. The December jobs data, which is due on Friday, will be the focus of Wall Street. Payroll growth of roughly 55,000 is anticipated for the month, according to a Dow Jones survey of economists.
Additionally, Nvidia (NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), and Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) will be the focus of attention following a successful start to the year for semiconductor manufacturers.
Additionally, investors will be following this week's CES tech expo in Las Vegas, which takes place from Tuesday through Friday.
