By Carla Mozee and Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch
Market shrugs off tensions after G-7 meeting at weekend
U.S. stock futures were mostly steady on Monday, as investors
took to the sidelines after a tense Group of Seven meeting and
ahead of a highly anticipated summit between President Donald Trump
and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore.
What are markets doing?
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 46 points, or 0.2%, to
25,367. But S&P 500 futures were up just 1 point at 2,783.73,
and Nasdaq-100 futures tacked on 2 points at 7,178.50.
The Dow Average on Friday posted its best weekly gain since
March
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-futures-slide-130-points-as-g-7-leaders-feud-over-trade-2018-06-08),
heading into the Quebec meeting between the U.S. and its allies in
the G-7. Friday's moves left the Dow Jones Industrial Average up by
2.8% last week, and allowed the S&P 500 to rise 1.6% and the
Nasdaq to gain 1.2% on a weekly basis.
What's driving the market?
The weekend saw a fresh escalation of tensions between Trump and
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The spat erupted after the
G-7 meeting in Quebec ended Saturday, with Trump withdrawing his
support for the group's communique
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-pulls-us-support-for-g-7-communique-2018-06-11)
after Trudeau criticized U.S. tariffs on Canadian metals.
But, so far, "markets have proved remarkably sanguine about the
threat of a global trade war and the dramatic events this weekend
don't seem to have changed that stance, with equity markets
dismissing the potential threats," said Rebecca O'Keeffe, head of
investment at Interactive Investor, in a note early Monday.
Hostilities between Trump and the leaders of two close allies --
Canada and France -- had intensified ahead of the G-7meeting, and
Trump continued to take aim at the U.S.'s northern neighbor on
Monday.
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-lashes-out-at-canada-france-over-trade-and-will-bail-on-g-7-summit-early-2018-06-08)
(https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1005979207544000512)
Meanwhile, top U.S. economic and trade advisors also lashed out
at the Canadian prime minister, with Peter Navarro, the White House
National Trade Council director, saying that there was "a special
place in hell" for Trudeau
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/special-place-in-hell-for-canadas-trudeau-trumps-top-trade-adviser-says-2018-06-10).
Trump is now in Singapore preparing for Tuesday's
much-anticipated meeting
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-arrives-in-singapore-for-historic-summit-with-kim-jong-un-2018-06-10)
with North Korean leader Kim on Tuesday.
See:Trump will stand firm on denuclearization at North Korea
summit, says Pompeo
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/north-korea-summit-trump-will-stand-firm-on-denuclearization-says-pompeo-2018-06-11)
Away from international relations, investors will also begin to
focus on central bank meetings this week. The Federal Reserve is
expected to raise interest rates
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-goal-is-to-signal-an-unhurried-pace-of-interest-rate-hikes-2018-06-08)
after its two-day meeting that begins Tuesday, while European
Central Bank policy makers are expected to announce the timing of a
reduction of its crisis-era asset-purchase initiative on
Thursday.
Don't miss:Investors brace for week packed with Fed, ECB and
North Korean drama
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stock-market-investors-brace-for-week-packed-with-fed-ecb-and-north-korean-drama-2018-06-09)
And read: A pumped-up U.S. economy does have some downsides --
here are two of them
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-pumped-up-us-economy-does-have-some-downsides-here-are-two-of-them-2018-06-09)
What strategists are saying
"Although meetings between world leaders are typically not
considered market events and would usually encourage a muted market
reaction, this summit risks being viewed differently," wrote Jameel
Ahmad, global head of currency strategy at FXTM, in a note
discussing potential winners and losers coming out the meeting.
"Uncertainty over the past year or so around Trump-Kim Jong Un
relations was seen as one of the major risks for the financial
markets. A reduction of this uncertainty should encourage investors
to carry on investing in global stocks" if the meeting ends on a
positive note, he said.
But "depending on the extent to which the summit might go down
an undesirable path, there is the likelihood of investors entering
a 'risk-off' mode if negative headlines overshadow the meeting," he
added.
Stock movers
Shares of Envision Healthcare Corp.(EVHC) could be active after
reports that KKR & Co.(KKR) is nearing a deal
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/kkr-nears-55-billion-deal-to-acquire-envision-healthcare-2018-06-10)
to buy the provider of physician services for around $5.5
billion.
What is ahead in economic data?
Monday's only scheduled top-tier data is a survey of consumer
expectations, due at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.
How are other markets performing?
Asian markets saw a cautious day of trade
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-markets-cautious-as-singapore-summit-prepares-to-kick-off-2018-06-10),
while European stocks
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-rise-as-banks-get-an-ecb-wind-down-boost-2018-06-07)
climbed, led by a rally in Italian stocks after Italy's economy
minister said the country's new government is committed to sticking
with the euro
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/italian-stocks-jump-on-reassuring-euro-remarks-leading-european-markets-higher-2018-06-11).
The ICE U.S. Dollar Index was fractionally lower at 93.500,
while the U.K. pound fell to $1.3366 after downbeat factory
data.
In oil, West Texas Intermediate crude for July dipped 0.2% to
$65.60 a barrel, and August gold was flat at $1,302.70 an
ounce.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 11, 2018 05:25 ET (09:25 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.