Global stocks rise as Wall Street braces for more turbulence
Global stocks and US futures advanced Monday as Wall Street prepared for what could be another week of rocky trading fueled by small investors on Reddit. Silver futures surged as online attention shifted to the precious metal.
Dow futures were last up 177 points, or 0.6%, reversing course from a 0.8% tumble earlier. S&P 500 futures were up 0.8%, while Nasdaq futures climbed nearly 1%. European markets opened with gains, while major Asian indexes advanced.
Some investors are once again turning their attention to vaccine rollouts and a stimulus deal in the United States, chief global markets strategist at Axi, Stephen Innes, wrote in a research note Monday. “Risk is trying to regain its footing but Covid vaccine efficacy concerns and the Reddit Red Raider [are] still on investors’ minds,” he added.
US futures slump after turbulent week on Wall Street
US futures slumped slightly Sunday, building on the turbulence spurred in part last week by the GameStop stock frenzy.
S&P 500 futures were last down 0.1%, while Nasdaq futures slumped 0.2%. Dow futures were flat, improving from a 0.8% tumble earlier in the evening.
US markets are coming off of their worst week since October. The volatility hinged on a handful of trends, including fears from analysts about whether the massive short-squeeze in GameStop and other Reddit favorites are beginning to curtail liquidity in other parts of the market as investors unwind positions.
There are other factors, too. Earnings season is in full swing. There are also questions about whether President Joe Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus package can actually get passed, along with uncertainty over the coronavirus vaccine rollout.
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Silver spikes as retail investors swarm their biggest target yet
‘As we evaluate the markets, it is difficult to know where silverâs price and demand will go in the coming day and weeks,’ Lewis said
By Bloomberg News
1 Feb 2021 09:31
Image: Nicky Loh
Silver took center stage in the retail investor frenzy sweeping through markets, sending the metal to a five-month high and fueling a debate over the power of Reddit-inspired speculators to take on ever-bigger targets.
Most-active futures jumped as much as 9.5% to $29.47 an ounce on the Comex, after a weekend buying binge that overwhelmed online sellers of silver coins and bars from the US to Australia. BlackRock Inc.âs iShares Silver Trust, the largest exchange-traded product tracking the metal, recorded an unprecedented $944 million net inflow on Friday.
Silver spikes past US$30 as retail investors swarm biggest target
Eddie Spence and Jake Lloyd-Smith, Bloomberg News
Silver soars on GameStop retail frenzy VIDEO SIGN OUT
Silver broke above US$30 an ounce as the precious metal took center stage in the retail investor frenzy sweeping through markets.
Most-active futures jumped as much as 13 per cent to US$30.35 an ounce on the Comex, the highest in eight years. That followed a weekend buying binge that overwhelmed online sellers of silver coins and bars from the U.S. to Australia. BlackRock Inc.âs iShares Silver Trust, the largest exchange-traded product tracking the metal, recorded an unprecedented US$944 million net inflow on Friday.
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Silver broke above $30 an ounce as the precious metal took centre stage in the retail investor frenzy sweeping through markets.
The most active futures contracts jumped as much as 13 per cent to $30.35 an ounce on the Comex, the highest in eight years. That followed a weekend buying binge that overwhelmed online sellers of silver coins and bars from the US to Australia. BlackRock’s iShares Silver Trust (SLV), the largest exchange-traded product tracking the metal, recorded an unprecedented $944 million net inflow on Friday.
Like the buying stampede in GameStop and other small-cap stocks that has captivated the financial world in recent weeks, silver’s advance can be traced to Reddit’s WallStreetBets forum. One post last week declared the metal “THE BIGGEST SHORT IN THE WORLD” and encouraged traders to pile into the iShares trust as a way to stick it to big banks.