5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens

Stock futures are little changed this morning after two consecutive sessions of losses for major indexes; tech stocks have stabilized after slumping on Monday; gold and silver prices are surging after the precious metals posted steep declines to start the week; Facebook-parent Meta announced it acquired AI agent firm Manus. Here's what investors need to know today.

Stock Futures Steady After Two Days of Losses

Stock futures are holding steady this morning after major indexes lost ground on Monday for the second straight session. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq were hovering near unchanged in recent trading. Bitcoin was at $87,900, up from an overnight low of around $87,000. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which influences mortgage rates and costs on other consumer loans, was at 4.14%, up from 4.12% at yesterday's close. Oil prices continued to climb amid tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela. West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, were up 0.3% at $58.30 per barrel, trading near their highest levels of the month.

Major Tech Stocks Stabilize After Rocky Start to Week

Shares of some of the world's biggest technology companies are back on firmer footing Tuesday after leading the market's downturn yesterday.Concerns about whether major tech companies will profit from massive investments in artificial intelligence have weighed on investor sentiment in recent months. In premarket trading Tuesday, Tesla (TSLA) shares were up 0.5%, after the stock fell 3.3% on Monday to lead Nasdaq decliners. Shares of AI chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA) inched higher after shedding more than 1% yesterday, while Palantir (PLTR) ticked higher after dropping more than 2% Monday and Oracle (ORCL) was little changed after sliding 1%.

Gold and Silver Prices Surge After Monday Sell-Off

Gold and silver prices are bouncing back from the big declines posted yesterday after exchange operator CME Group made a key change to its metals contracts. Gold futures were recently up 1.7% at $4,415 an ounce, after sliding as low as $4,330 yesterday. Silver futures were up more than 7% this morning, at around $75.55 an ounce. After a weeks-long rally that had lifted the precious metals to a series of record highs, gold and silver plunged on Monday after CME raised its margin requirements for precious metals contracts. Higher margin requirements require traders to add money to accounts that insure against default, effectively raising their costs to trade the futures contracts.

Minutes from Latest Fed Meeting Set for Release

Traders will be watching today’s release of the minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee's December meeting for clues about the direction the Federal Reserve will take on interest rates in 2026. The minutes, which are set to be released at 2 p.m. ET, will provide more insight into the FOMC’s decision to cut the Fed's benchmark lending rate for a third straight meeting. The Fed is expected to keep interest rates steady when it meets in January, though rising unemployment levels, along with tame inflation readings, could put pressure on FOMC members to reduce borrowing costs again. Investors will also be monitoring home price data set to be released at 9 a.m. ET.

Meta Acquires AI Agent Firm Manus

Meta Platforms (META) announced it acquired Manus, a Singapore-based firm that develops  autonomous general-purpose AI agents. In a release, Meta said that Manus agents are able to “independently execute complex tasks like market research, coding, and data analysis.” Meta said it would integrate Manus services into its offerings. The move by the Facebook parent company comes as it continues to make big investments in its AI business. Shares of Meta, which through Monday's close were up 13% in 2025, were little changed in premarket trading.

Do you have a news tip for Investopedia reporters? Please email us at tips@investopedia.com