Nasdaq futures up 160 points: 5 things to know before Wall Street opens

What happened

US stock futures rose on Monday, with Nasdaq-100 futures up 0.55%, S&P 500 futures up 0.36% and Dow futures up 0.49%, suggesting all three indexes could open higher after two straight weekly losses.

Confirmed

Global impact / market context

Higher futures hint at a calmer open, but Brazil's sharp sell-off shows how election results can quickly hit stock prices. The Fed meeting on Wednesday also gives investors a key reason to hold back or adjust positions.

Analyst inference

Investors are weighing two forces: hope that US indexes rebound after recent weekly losses, and fear from Brazil, where markets had priced in a different election winner. That mix can keep trading choppy before the Fed decision.

Analyst inference

What to watch

1. Brazilian stocks fell sharply after Lula won the runoff election, with Petrobras down about 22% and the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF down nearly 26% in premarket trading. Confirmed
2. Watch whether Brazil's sell-off spreads to other emerging markets, because investors may cut risk in similar countries if they fear looser government spending and weaker budget discipline, which means less restraint in public finances. Analyst inference
3. Before the Fed meeting, track whether US futures hold their gains, since a steady open could show investors are looking past last week's losses rather than selling further and reducing their stock holdings. Proposed

Evidence

• invezz.com