[Platinum Insights] (7.17.23)

Good morning. 

U.S. stock index futures were subdued on Monday after last week’s gains, as investors geared up for quarterly results from industry heavyweights through the week. 

Second-quarter earnings are gathering momentum, with Tesla due to report on Wednesday, while Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Netflix are also lined up through the rest of the week.  

Activision Blizzard rose 4.5% in the pre-market after Microsoft said it has signed an agreement to keep Call of Duty on PlayStation following its acquisition. 

Wheat futures in the US soared past $6.8 per bushel from the one-month low of $6.3 touched on July 12th after Russia refused to extend the deal guaranteeing a safe trade corridor for vessels to export Ukrainian grain out of Black Sea ports. 

WTI crude futures fell below $75 per barrel. Gold eased toward $1,950 an ounce while US 10 Year Note Bond Yield was 3.78 percent. 

The three major U.S. indexes ended last week over 2% higher after consumer prices and producer prices data provided evidence that the economy had entered a disinflation phase, stoking hopes that the Federal Reserve will soon end its monetary policy tightening. 

Majority of sectors on the S&P 500 closed on a negative note, with energy, financials and communication services stocks recording the biggest losses on Friday. However, health care, consumer staples and consumer discretionary stocks closed higher during the Friday’s session. 

Have a great day.