Dow Futures Lose Momentum From Friday Record

Friday's Fed-fueled rally did not make it through the weekend. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) are down triple digits ahead of the open, after the blue-chip index marked record highs on Friday, while S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) futures sit firmly lower as well. There's plenty to look forward to during the last week of August, including Nvidia (NVDA) earnings on Wednesday. 

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

• A quick recap of the market last week: see what you missed. 
• Reasons to choose options as a trading strategy. 
• Plus, OKTA upgraded; NIO extending rally; and KDP's billion-dollar acquisition. 

futures

5 Things You Need to Know Today

1. The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw over 2.9 million call contracts and more than 1.4 million put contracts traded on Friday. The single-session equity put/call ratio came in at 0.50, while the 21-day moving average stayed at 0.59.
2. Cloud stock Okta Inc (NASDAQ:OKTA) is up 2.8% premarket, after an upgrade from Truist Securities to "buy" from "hold," with a price-target hike to $125 from $100. Coming into today, the equity is up 16.8% year-to-date. 
3. Nio Inc ADR (NYSE:NIO) stock is up 6.5% before the bell, looking to extend a major rally after the China-based EV name announced its latest ES8 SUV last week. Eyeing its highest levels since October 2024, NIO is up 45.4% in 2025. 
4. Shares of Keurig Dr Pepper Inc (NASDAQ:KDP) are down 7.3% in electronic trading, after the soft drink company announced the acquisition of Dutch coffee staple JDE Peet's for roughly $18 billion, and will split its business into two publicly traded companies. Heading into today, KDP is up 9.4% year-to-date. 
5. GDP update and more due out this week. 

Asian Markets Eye Developments Stateside

Asian markets kicked off the week on a strong note, with Japan’s Nikkei rising 0.4%. Stocks benefited from a productive summit between Japan and South Korea, which saw the Kospi jump 1.3%. Adding to the momentum, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump today. The Shanghai Composite and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng led the gainers, adding 1.5.% and 1.9%, respectively,  on the back of remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell that hinted at a potential stateside interest rate cut.

European markets, however, are struggling to keep pace despite Powell’s dovish comments. London’s FTSE 100 is closed for a holiday, while France’s CAC 40 was last seen down 0.7%. Investors are also brushing off a rise in German business climate to its highest level in more than one year, with Germany’s DAX off 0.3% at last glance.