Nasdaq Futures Slip as Middle East Worries Resume

Markets are making modest pre-market moves this morning, as investors eye developments in the Middle East and upcoming consumer price index (CPI) and producer price index (PPI) data, slated for later in the week. Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was considering joining Saudi Arabia in fighting against Tehran-backed Houthis, following the group's attack on Riyadh airport.

Trump also declared an “energy ceasefire” between Ukraine and Russia, though the former said Moscow has already violated the agreement. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is up more than 1% in response, above $92 per barrel. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) and S&P 500 Index (SPX) are inching higher, while the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) is slightly lower before the bell.

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

• Your almanac for fourth-quarter earnings season.
• Analysts chimed in on a handful of big-named stocks last week.
• Plus, IonQ makes a large purchase; Anthropic snags Iren; and Uber stock steers lower.

1. The Cboe Option Exchange saw roughly 3.1 million call contracts and 1.8 million put contracts traded on Friday. The single-session equity put/call ratio fell to 0.56, while the 21-day moving average remained at 0.59. 
2. IonQ Inc (NYSE:IONQ) stock is down 1.8% ahead of the open, despite upbeat news, after the company said it has agreed to purchased Elisity in a deal valued up to $1.3 billion. IONQ is reversing earlier losses and is heading into today with an 11% year-to-date deficit.
3. IREN Ltd (NASDAQ:IREN) is up 4.5% before the bell, snapping back from earlier losses after reported surfaced saying the data center giant landed a multi-year cloud partnership with Anthropic. Year to date, the stock is down 18.5%
4. Rideshare app Uber Technologies Inc (NYSE:UBER) is off 1% in pre-market trading, as the company continues to face headwinds amid class action lawsuit troubles, which alleged unauthorized user enrollment. UBER has shed 12.5% in 2026.
5. Big bank stocks will be the main headliner for this week.

Asian Stocks Mixed Amid Oil Fluctuation 

Asian stocks were mixed on Monday, as traders waved away fluctuating oil prices and gear up for earnings season. South Korea’s Kospi index plunged 3.7% as the won rose to a two-year high against the greenback. Elsewhere, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.3%, while China’s Shanghai dropped 0.4%. Japanese markets were closed for a holiday.

European bourses are starting the week on a high note, as British finance minister John Healey readies for his first trip to the annual International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting. Carmakers are also in focus, after the European Union (EU) and China greed to reduce the number of China-based hybrid car exports. Germany’s DAX and the FTSE 100 are up 0.9%, respectively, while France’s CAC is 0.5% higher.