US pre-open: Futures steady as FOMC decision, tech earnings loom
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Monday 26 Jan 2026
(Sharecast News) - Wall Street futures were little changed ahead of the bell on Monday as market participants braced for a big week in terms of both corporate earnings and monetary policy.
As of 1230 GMT, Dow Jones futures were flat, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 0.06% and 0.17% lower, respectively.
The Dow closed 285.30 points lower on Friday, almost erasing gains recorded in the previous session.
Futures were broadly flat prior to the open on Monday after what was a soft week for major indices, as heightened geopolitical tensions weighed on sentiment before easing late in the week following Donald Trump's announcement of a "framework" for a deal over Greenland.
Investors will now shift their attention to the Federal Reserve this week, with the central bank due to deliver its first policy decision of the year on Wednesday. The Fed was widely expected to leave its benchmark overnight rate unchanged, but traders will be watching closely for any signals on the timing of future cuts.
Trade Nation's David Morrison said: "The central bank is expected to keep rates unchanged, but investors will look for clues as to the timing of the first rate cut of 2026. This is unlikely to come in the first quarter, with the CME's FedWatch Tool suggesting that it is most likely to come in June or later.
"It's also thought that President Trump will name his pick to succeed Jerome Powell as Fed Chair sometime this week. Mr Powell's term expires in May, and there's fierce speculation over who may follow him into the role. Mr Trump appeared to rule out former favourite Kevin Hassett last week. The President said he wanted him to stay as Director of the NEC. This put Kevin Warsh into pole position. But over the weekend, Rick Rieder, CIO at BlackRock, suddenly rose in the popularity charts as a ton of money came in to back him on US prediction markets."
On the macro front, the Chicago Federal Reserve's October and November national activity indexes will be released at 1330 GMT, as will November durable goods orders data, while the Dallas Fed's January manufacturing business index will follow at 1530 GMT.
No major corporate earnings were slated for release on Monday, but 'Magnificent Seven' constituents Apple, Meta Platforms and Microsoft will all report earnings before the end of the week.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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