Home / Markets News & Opinions / Dow Futures Rise as US & China Trade Verbal Attacks

Dow Futures Rise as US & China Trade Verbal Attacks

Last Updated September 23, 2020 1:19 PM
Josiah Wilmoth
Last Updated September 23, 2020 1:19 PM
  • Dow futures point to moderate gains for the US stock market on Monday.
  • The US and China traded attacks over the weekend, despite allegedly being “very close” to a trade deal.
  • The upcoming Thanksgiving holiday means US economic data releases will be packed into a dizzying two-day window on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures point to more gains ahead of a holiday-shortened trading week.

With just three weeks remaining before new tariffs escalate the trade war further, relations between the US and China appear to be moving in the wrong direction.

Dow Futures Point to Gains on Monday

Futures tracking Wall Street’s three major indices all rose when the markets opened Sunday night.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures climbed 50 points or 0.18%, implying a 63.38 point advance at the open.

dow jones industrial average futures
Dow futures point to gains for the stock market on Monday. | Source: Yahoo Finance 

S&P 500 futures rose 0.2%, while Nasdaq futures jumped 0.25% to round out a bullish pre-market session.

US & China Trade Barbs as Tariff Deadline Looms

President Donald Trump may say the US and China are “very close” to finalizing a trade deal, but the two economic superpowers continue to trade barbs three weeks before the next round of tariff hikes.

China’s Top Diplomat Torches Washington in Scathing Rebuke

Speaking at a G20 meeting in Japan, Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi torched the US  as the “world’s biggest destabilizing factor.”

“The United States is broadly engaged in unilateralism and protectionism, and is damaging multilateralism and the multilateral trading system. It has already become the world’s biggest destabilizing factor,” Wang said, according to China’s Foreign Ministry.

Wang, China’s top-ranking diplomat, alleged that the US must stop playing “zero-sum games” and pursue a compromise that benefits both Washington and Beijing.

There is no way out for the zero-sum games of the United States. Only win-win cooperation between China and the United States is the right path.

Trump Adviser Warns that Hong Kong Threatens Trade Deal

hong kong protests, impact on dow
According to Trump’s national security adviser, China’s handling of Hong Kong could potentially derail trade talks. | Source: ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP

Not to be outdone, the Trump administration levied its own assault on Beijing . During a visit to Canada on Saturday, US national security adviser Robert O’Brien said that a trade deal was “still…possible.” But gone was the confidence from exuding from Trump’s remarks on Friday.

Adding further pressure to the Dow, O’Brien warned Beijing that the White House would not ignore the plight of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protesters, who continue to demonstrate under the ever-present threat of violent government suppression.

“We were hoping to have (a phase one) deal done by the end of the year. I still think that’s possible,” he said. “At the same time, we’re not going to turn a blind eye to what’s happening in Hong Kong…or other areas of the world where we’re concerned about China’s activity.”

Already, the US Congress has passed a bill that condemns China for its suppression of democracy in Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act , which received unanimous support in the Senate and all but one vote in the House, would impose sanctions on Chinese officials accused of perpetrating human rights abuses against protesters.

Trump has said that he may veto the legislation , though it should have enough support in Congress for lawmakers to override his veto. The president is concerned it could negatively affect trade negotiations, which is confirmed by Beijing’s withering response to the act’s passage .

Economic Data Releases to Watch

US economy, economic data releases, dow jones futures
Not all of these data releases will directly impact the Dow, but investors should pay attention to glean more insight into the state of the US economy. | Source: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

There are no US data releases scheduled for Monday, and due to the Thanksgiving holiday, none will drop on Thursday or Friday either. But that doesn’t mean that Wall Street will have any less data to pore over this week.

Here are the highlights (all times ET):

Nov. 26 (Tuesday)

  • 8:30 am: Goods Trade Balance
  • 8:30 am: Wholesale Inventories
  • 9 am: FHFA House Price Index
  • 9 am: S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Indices
  • 10 am: Conference Board Consumer Confidence
  • 10 am: Richmond Manufacturing Index
  • 10 am: New Home Sales

Nov. 27 (Wednesday)

  • 8:30 am: Durable Goods Orders
  • 8:30 am: GDP
  • 8:30 am: Unemployment claims
  • 9:45 am: Chicago PMI
  • 10 am: Core PCE Price Index
  • 10 am: Personal Spending
  • 10 am: Pending Home Sales
  • 10 am: Personal Income
  • 10 am: Crude Oil Inventories
  • 11 am: Natural Gas Storage
  • 2 pm: Federal Reserve Beige Book