Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 13, 2025.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
Stock futures jumped early Monday on reports President Donald Trump was planning on holding back some of the tariffs initially planned for April 2, raising hopes the U.S. won’t plunge the globe into an all-out trade war.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 391 points, or 0.9%. S&P 500 futures added 1.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures were 1.5% higher.
Shares of Tesla, which have fallen nine straight weeks, were up 3.6% in premarket trading Monday. Meta shares added 3%, while Nvidia shares rose nearly 2%.
Stocks are coming off of a much-needed winning week, which saw the S&P 500 end Friday in the green and avoid four-straight weekly losses.
Investors remain jittery as Trump’s April 2 start date for reciprocal tariffs approaches, however. Trump has said the tariffs are aimed at any country that imposes duties on U.S. imports.
But the Wall Street Journal reported the tariffs are expected to be more narrow in scope and will likely exclude some industry-specific duties, citing an administration official. Trump will also exclude some nations from the tariffs, Bloomberg News reported. Both the WSJ and Bloomberg News reports noted that the situation remains fluid and the plans could change.
Trump seemingly lowered the temperature for investors on Friday after he told reporters that there could potentially be “flexibility” for his reciprocal tariff plan. That helped push major averages into the green for the session.
“Omitting the sectoral tariffs from the April 2nd package significantly reduces both its aggregate scale and the maximum rate on targeted sectors, given that all of Trump’s tariffs to date have been designed to stack,” stated Tobin Marcus of Wolfe Research in a note. “The ceiling for reciprocal tariffs on April 2 remains dramatic, and we still expect a negative market reaction, but the scale won’t be as severe and the sectoral impacts won’t be as concentrated.”
The pending duties and Trump’s overall rhetoric on U.S. trade policy have raised fears among investors that the U.S. economy could be on shaky footing. Those concerns were exacerbated by weakening consumer sentiment data. Stocks rapidly fell starting in late February with the S&P 500, at one point, closing in correction territory.
However, investors received some encouraging words from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who last week said that any potential negative impacts from Trump’s tariffs will likely be short-lived. On the data front this week, investors will receive a consumer confidence reading on Tuesday, followed by initial weekly jobless claims figures on Thursday.
After last week’s small gain, the S&P 500 sits 7.8% off its record high. The Nasdaq Composite also snapped a four-week losing streak last week with a small gain and sits 12% off its record high.
Stocks making the biggest moves before the bell: Pinterest, ViaSat and more
These are the stocks moving the most in premarket trading:
- Pinterest — The social media stock added nearly 5% following an upgrade to buy from neutral at Guggenheim.Â
- ViaSat — Shares gained 4% after Deutsche Bank upgraded the satellite stock, which competes with Elon Musk’s Starlink, to a buy rating from hold.
- AZEK — Shares of the outdoor products manufacturer soared 23% after cement manufacturer James Hardie Industries said it would acquire AZEK in a cash and stock deal totaling around $9 billion.
Read the full list of stocks moving here.
— Lisa Kailai Han
Melius Research upgrades shares of Boeing following contract win
Boeing could be due for even more gains from here as a result of its recent contract award from President Donald Trump, according to Melius Research.
Shares rose almost 2% in the premarket after analyst Scott Mikus upgraded shares of the aerospace company to buy from hold. Its updated price target now reflects more than 14% upside ahead, as of Friday’s close.
On Friday, Trump awarded Boeing a contract over rival Lockheed Martin to create the next-generation fighter jet known as the F-47. Shares of Boeing rose more than 3% following the award announcement, while Lockheed Martin fell nearly 6%. That puts Boeing’s gains over the past six months at more than 14% and Lockheed Martin’s losses in that period at around 24%.
“Going forward, we believe Boeing is entering a period of positive newsflow that can drive the stock higher,” the analyst wrote on Monday. “While we acknowledge that Boeing Defense (BDS) remains a fixer-upper, Phantom Works’ [Next Generation Air Dominance] win should provide Boeing with $20B of profitable cost-plus defense sales over the next five years.”
Mikus estimates that production contracts for the Next Generation Air Dominance program could lead to $60 billion in sales over multiple decades. On top of that, the contract win will boost morale among employees and bolster BDS’ ability to keep top engineering talent, he added.
Meanwhile, the analyst also downgraded shares of Lockheed Martin to hold from buy, citing both competitive losses and increasing concerns surrounding Europe attempting to reduce its reliance on U.S. defense contractors. Its updated target implies about 10% upside from Friday’s close.
— Sean Conlon
Tech stocks jump in premarket trading, led by gains in Tesla and Meta
Shares of several beaten-down technology companies rose during premarket trading Monday.
Tesla stock, which has fallen nine straight weeks, jumped 3.6% before market open. Shares of Meta and Advanced Micro Devices each gained roughly 2.7%, while Nvidia added 1.9%.
Shares of Apple, Amazon and Google parent Alphabet also rose.
— Pia Singh
James Hardie Industries to acquire AZEK in a cash and stock deal
James Hardie Industries will acquire outdoor products manufacturer AZEK in a cash and stock deal valued at nearly $9 billion, the fiber-cement maker said.
 The deal will see AZEK shareholders receive $26.45 in cash and 1.0340 ordinary shares of James Hardie, which will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, for each AZEK share. This will bring the total per share value to $56.88 per share, equating to a 37.4% premium to the closing price of AZEK’s stock on Friday.
— Brian Evans
White House reportedly plans to narrow scope of Trump’s April 2 tariffs
The White House is planning to issue a more narrow slate of tariffs than previously expected on April 2, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Sunday, citing an administration official.
Previously announced reciprocal duties are still planned to be announced on April 2, the report said, albeit likely without sector-specific duties that President Donald Trump had aimed at sectors including automobiles, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.
— Brian Evans
Stock futures rise on Sunday
U.S. stock futures were higher on Sunday, as investors look push equities higher for a second-straight week.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 197 points, or 0.4%. S&P 500 futures advanced 0.5%, while Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.6%.