US pre-open: Futures rise as markets shrug off geopolitical tensions

5th Jan 2026 07:54

(Sharecast News) - Stock futures were pointing to small gains on Wall Street ahead of the opening bell on Monday, though heightened geopolitical instability following Donald Trump's actions in Venezuela is likely to keep a lid on risk appetite - particularly with markets already trading close to record highs.

By 1153 GMT, futures on the Dow were rising just 0.03%, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq were up 0.30% and 0.72% respectively.

The Dow and S&P 500 both rose the previous session - the first trading day of 2026 - snapping a four-day losing streak to end 2025 as indices pulled back from recent records.

Geopolitics across the Americas were in focus over the weekend after the US assault on Venezuela - including the capture of president Nicolas Maduro - and Trump's assertion that America is now running the owner of the world's largest oil reserves.

After an earlier fall, oil prices bounced on Monday morning, with Brent up 0.5% at $61.08 a barrel and WTI crude 0.7% higher at $57.72 a barrel.

Meanwhile, gold and silver prices were rising strongly - up 2.4% and 5.4% respectively - as renewed safe-haven demand pushed the commodities back towards record highs.

"After all the pushback over the Russian invasion in Ukraine, Trump has shown his hand as someone that will similarly take military action against their neighbours if he deems it of strategic importance. This opens us up to additional geopolitical tension and volatility, with Trumps willingness to plunder Venezuelan resources signalling additional risk for nations investing into US assets," said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.

"While some see this move as one which could lessen the US debt, the immediate risk to global stability means that gold and silver once again enjoy a fresh bout of buying pressure."

Shares in US defence stocks were expected to follow their European counterparts higher when markets open, as increased geopolitical tensions boost their attractiveness. Futures of Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman were all rising in pre-market trade.