Stock Futures Stall After Another Winning Week

Stock futures are modestly lower this morning, following the major benchmarks' second consecutive weekly wins. Central bank members will be heading to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the annual economic policy symposium later this week, with investors keeping watch for rate-cut clues.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is meeting President Trump in the White House today to discuss the war with Russia. Also of note, Bitcoin (BTC) is tumbling 2%, after last week tapping its fourth record high of 2025.

Continue reading for more on today's market, including:

• A quick look at last week's big market movers. 
• Back to the basics: Understanding short interest. 
• Plus, DUOL's two bull notes; SHCO's potential buyout; and NVO's FDA approval. 

5 Things You Need to Know Today

1. The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw over 3.4 million call contracts and more than 1.6 million put contracts traded on Friday. The single-session equity put/call ratio fell to 0.48, while the 21-day moving average stayed at 0.59.
2. Duolingo Inc (NASDAQ:DUOL) stock is up 2.6% premarket following two bull notes. Keybanc upgraded the stock to "overweight" from "sector weight," while Citigroup initiated coverage with a "buy" rating. Year-over-year, the equity is sporting a 61.6% lead. 
3. Soho House & Co Inc (NYSE:SHCO) is up 16.2% in electronic trading, after news that it could soon be taken private by an MCR Hotels-led investor group for roughly $2.7 billion. Over the last 12 months, SHCO has added 32.6%. 
4. The shares of Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) are up 3% before the bell, after news that the company's obesity drug Wegovy received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to treat metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a liver disease. NVO is down 61.9% year-over-year and 39% year-to-date. 
5. This week will bring plenty of earnings and economic data, as well as the Fed's latest meeting minutes. 

Nikkei Notches Another Record

Asian markets mostly finished higher Monday, led by Japan’s Nikkei, which scored another record close after a 0.8% gain. China’s Shanghai Composite also nabbed a 0.9% win, securing its strongest close in more than a decade. Elsewhere, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.4% as rising bond maturities pressured the property sector, while South Korea’s Kospi tumbled 1.5% amid semiconductor tariff concerns.

In Europe, markets are mostly lower as the fallout from the U.S.-Russia summit weighs and investors eye Trump’s meetings with Zelenskyy and other European leaders. At last check, London’s FTSE 100 was flat, Germany’s DAX is 0.3% lower, and France’s CAC 40 is sporting a 0.7% deficit.