US Stock Futures Edge Lower as Biden Unveils Stimulus Plan; Major Banks Set to Kickoff Earnings Season

The major U.S. stock index futures are edging lower in the pre-market session on Friday as investors digested the details of President-elect Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan revealed Thursday evening local time.

In the early trade, futures tied to the benchmark S&P 500 Index were down 21.75 points. Futures associated with the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average were off by nearly 200 points and futures connected with the tech-driven NASDAQ Composite Index traded lower by about 45 points.

Biden’s American Rescue Plan

A quick recap of President-elect Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, includes increasing the additional federal unemployment payments to $400 per week and extending them through September, direct payments to many Americans of $1,400, and extending federal moratoriums on evictions and foreclosures through September.

The plan also calls for $350 billion in aid to state and local governments, $70 billion for COVID testing and vaccination programs and raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.

Earnings Season Begins

On Friday, investors will get fresh looks at major banks as Wells Fargo, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase report their fourth quarter earnings.

JPMorgan kicks off fourth-quarter earnings season for big banks on Friday at about 12:00 GMT, followed by releases from Wells Fargo and Citigroup.

Earnings expectations for the fourth quarter have been on the rise, thanks to climbing interest rates and expectations for solid trading and investment banking results.

The biggest U.S. banks (with the exception of Wells Fargo) all saw per-share earnings estimates jump by at least 8% in the past month, according to Barclays analysts Jason Goldberg.

Thursday US Stock Market Recap

Wall Street closed lower on Thursday after turning down late in the session as reports emerged about U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s pandemic aid proposal following earlier data that showed a weakening labor market.

Of the 11 major S&P sectors, only four closed higher with economically-sensitive energy, up 3%, showing the biggest percentage gains as oil prices rose. The biggest percentage decliner on the day was the information technology sector.

The domestically-focused small-cap Russell 2000 Index closed up 2%, while the Dow Jones Transports Index ended up 1% after both sectors, which are seen as big beneficiaries of stimulus, scaled all-time highs during the day.

Helping the transport index was a 2.5% rise in shares of Delta Air Lines after Chief Executive Ed Bastian forecast 2021 to be “the year of recovery” after the coronavirus pandemic prompted its first annual loss in 11 years.

The S&P 1500 Airlines Index closed up 3.4%.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index also hit a record high with a big boost from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd. The chip manufacturer’s U.S. shares closed up 5% after it announced its best-even quarterly profit and raised revenue and capital spending estimates.