- Morning Watchlist
- Posts
- AI Leads First Trading Day of 2026
AI Leads First Trading Day of 2026
Rick Ducat, CMT
January 02, 2026
Stock futures are up as the first trading day of 2026 dawns, with S&P futures (/ES) up around +0.5% and Nasdaq futures (/NQ) up about +0.9%.
Artificial intelligence is once again a main topic, with news out of Asia like chipmaker Shanghai Biren Technology rocketing almost +76% in its first day of trading and Baidu (BIDU) pointing toward an 11% premarket gain after announcing it will spin off its own chip unit.
Meanwhile, memory chip companies like Micron (MU) are also rallying in sympathy with Samsung as it soared to record highs in the South Korean market.
Precious metals also are showing strength with gold futures (/GC) up about +1.5% and silver futures up around +5.5%.
Tesla (TSLA) is up about +1.3% in early trading as investors look toward today’s quarterly delivery numbers.
There is little in the way of economic data today other than the S&P Global Manufacturing PMI, and earnings will be light in the near term save for Constellation Brands (STZ) reporting next week.
Morning Movers
Snapshot (as of 7 AM ET)
Oil (/CL) – Oil prices are down 0.6% to just above $57/barrel.
Gold (/GC) – Gold futures are rallying this morning with a +1.4% gain and are trading near 4,409 after last session’s -0.46% loss.
Bitcoin (/BTC) – The crypto futures are up +2.5% around 90,085 after Wednesday’s-0.65% loss .
VIX – The VIX closed at 14.95 on Wednesday as volatility remained muted into the year’s end.
U.S. Dollar (/DX) – The greenback is up +0.12% near 98.10 after a marginal +0.07% gain last session.
Biggest Premarket Movers (as of 7 AM ET)
Symbol | Product | Mark % Change (Winners) |
|---|---|---|
MU | Micron | +2.92% |
KLAC | KLA Corp. | +2.63% |
LRCX | Lam Research | +2.61% |
WDC | Western Digital | +2.51% |
TER | Teradyne | +2.46% |
Symbol | Product | Mark % Change (Losers) |
|---|---|---|
PGR | Progressive | -5.97% |
BMY | Bristol Myers Squibb | -1.09% |
APD | Air Products & Chemicals | -0.70% |
KDP | Keurig Dr. Pepper | -0.39% |
LIN | Linde | -0.15% |
Economic Data
Time | Event |
|---|---|
9:45 AM ET | S&P Global Manufacturing PMI |
Notable Earnings
Premarket | Postmarket | Premarket Monday | Postmarket Monday |
|---|---|---|---|
None | None | None | None |
Upgrades/Downgrades
Aletheia Capital upgrades ASML (ASML) to Buy from Sell
Barclays upgrades Vertiv (VRT) to Overweight from Equal Weight
Tune in live from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, or anytime, anywhere, on‑demand.
Or stream it via thinkorswim® and thinkorswim Mobile, available through our broker-dealer affiliate, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc
Please do not reply to this email. Replies are not delivered to Schwab Network. For inquiries or comments, please email [email protected].
See how your information is protected with our privacy statement.
This material is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered a personalized recommendation or investment advice. Investors should review investment strategies for their own particular situations before making any decisions.
Schwab Network is brought to you by Charles Schwab Media Productions Company (“CSMPC”). CSMPC is a subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation and is not a financial advisor, registered investment advisor, broker-dealer, or futures commission merchant.
Charles Schwab Media Productions Company and all third parties mentioned are separate and unaffiliated, and are not responsible for one another's policies, services or opinions.
Data contained herein is obtained from what are considered reliable sources. However, its accuracy, completeness, or reliability cannot be guaranteed. All events and times listed are subject to change without notice.