New York, February 9, 2026, 05:58 EST — Premarket
- Dow E-mini futures were up 46 points; S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures dipped.
- The Dow closed Friday at 50,115.67, its first finish above 50,000.
- Investors are bracing for delayed U.S. payrolls and CPI data later this week.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures held near flat early Monday, after the blue-chip index’s first close above 50,000 put a fresh spotlight on how much economic cooling the market can take. At 4:52 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis — futures contracts that track the index — were up 46 points, or 0.09%. 1
The calm could break quickly. The January employment report has been rescheduled for Feb. 11 and the consumer price index (CPI) for Feb. 13 after the federal shutdown disrupted the release calendar, S&P Global Market Intelligence said. It expects payrolls to rise about 70,000 and the unemployment rate to hold at 4.4%. 2
The Dow ended Friday up 1,206.95 points, or 2.47%, at 50,115.67. It is now up 4.3% for the year, outpacing the S&P 500’s 1.3% gain while the Nasdaq has slipped 0.9%, according to Reuters. 3
Caterpillar jumped 7.1% to $726.20 and gave the Dow its biggest lift, while Goldman Sachs rose 4.3% and Nvidia climbed 7.9%. “What’s driven it recently has been the broadening … other than just the tech, AI trade,” said Chuck Carlson, chief executive of Horizon Investment Services. Nvidia replaced Intel in the index in November 2024, and the Dow is price-weighted — higher-priced shares carry more sway. 4
Friday’s surge followed a rough patch for parts of the AI trade, especially software names, after investors fixated on the cost of building out new computing capacity. Amazon said it planned a more than 50% jump in capital expenditure — spending on items like data centers — while chip stocks rallied on bets they will benefit; Ross Mayfield, an investment strategy analyst at Baird, pointed to “real demand for AI products.” 5
Traders also have a packed diary outside the Dow’s biggest components. Kroger added about 6% after the Wall Street Journal reported the grocer plans to name former Walmart executive Greg Foran as chief executive. Companies due before the opening bell include Kyndryl, Becton Dickinson, Apollo Global Management and Loews, while Fed officials Christopher Waller, Stephen Miran and Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic are slated to speak later Monday. 6
Policy chatter has not stayed on the sidelines. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday he would not expect the Federal Reserve to shrink its balance sheet quickly, adding it could “take at least a year” to decide its approach even under chair nominee Kevin Warsh. The Fed’s holdings stood at about $6.6 trillion in late 2025 after years of runoff — known as quantitative tightening, when bonds roll off without being replaced — Reuters reported. 7
Beyond this week’s data, rate-cut timing still sits at the center of the market’s math. A Reuters “Take Five” note said investors are watching whether Warsh could take charge in time for the Fed’s June meeting — the one markets have been treating as the next plausible cut window. 8
But the move through 50,000 is not a one-way bet. A firmer CPI reading or a stronger snapback in hiring would likely push bond yields higher and force traders to trim rate-cut bets, a mix that can pressure equities when valuations already look stretched.
For now, the next markers are close. Investors will parse Monday’s Fed speeches and early earnings, then shift to the delayed payrolls report on Wednesday and CPI on Friday for the next clear push in the Dow and its peers. 9
