U.S. stock futures opened the week on an uneven footing after Wall Street posted its strongest weekly advance since April, with geopolitical tensions weighing on sentiment.
Optimism over a potential U.S.-Iran agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz faded over the weekend, rattling investor confidence heading into Monday’s session.
President Donald Trump told Axios that the U.S. is “only semi-negotiating” with Iran, while Iranian officials denied that direct negotiations were underway.
As of 4:00 a.m. ET, Nasdaq futures were up 0.4%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.1%, while Russell 2000 and Dow futures were flat with a negative bias.
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) improved to “bullish” from “neutral” last week, while the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) dropped to “bearish.”
Apple (AAPL) is drawing retail attention after reports emerged that the company is testing memory chips from China’s CXMT for iPhones and Macs as it navigates tight memory supplies.
Additionally, eligible Mac users in mainland China can now connect Alibaba’s Qwen AI to Siri and Writing Tools, adding another layer of interest for AAPL traders.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSM) reported a 45% rise in July revenue, reinforcing sustained global demand for AI hardware and boosting sector confidence.
Micron Technology Inc. (MU) is moving higher in early premarket trade ahead of its presentation at the KeyBanc Technology Leadership Forum, with retail traders watching for a potential guidance raise.
Space stocks are also catching a fresh catalyst after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said next-generation Starlink V3 satellites could deliver more than 100 times the bandwidth of the current V2 system.
ARK’s Cathie Wood called the potential bandwidth increase “astonishing” as the firm continued to add shares to its funds, boosting interest in space-related ETFs including SPCX.
AST SpaceMobile Inc. (ASTS) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) are also in focus ahead of their Q2 reports, with Intuitive Machines (LUNR) set to report later this week.
Sellas Life Sciences (SLS) remains a closely watched biotech stock after gaining nearly 20% last week as investors await an anticipated Phase 3 REGAL data readout for its AML drug candidate.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A, BRK.B) shares were subdued after Michael Burry posted that the stock is no longer an “attractive investment,” with Berkshire underperforming major indexes in 2026 despite holding a $364.7 billion cash and Treasury pile.
Robinhood (HOOD) formed a Golden Cross on Friday for the first time since January 2024, with the 50-day moving average crossing above the 200-day average.
Investors face a data-heavy week, with July CPI due Wednesday, followed by PPI on Thursday and retail sales on Friday, alongside existing home sales Tuesday and preliminary University of Michigan consumer sentiment Friday.
The CPI print carries particular weight as it will be the first major inflation reading following the latest Federal Reserve decision.
On the earnings front, Plug Power (PLUG), Riot Platforms (RIOT), Trump Media (DJT), Hims & Hers Health (HIMS), Archer Aviation (ACHR), Quantum Computing (QUBT), and Barrick Mining (B) are among companies reporting Monday.
Later in the week, CoreWeave, Super Micro Computer, Lumentum, Cisco, Coherent, and Applied Materials are all expected to report, keeping the AI infrastructure space firmly in the spotlight.
