{"id":60367,"date":"2026-03-31T06:07:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T10:07:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/bullish-momentum-drives-futures-higher-as-energy-surges-and-nike-earnings-loom\/60367\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T06:07:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T10:07:20","slug":"bullish-momentum-drives-futures-higher-as-energy-surges-and-nike-earnings-loom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/bullish-momentum-drives-futures-higher-as-energy-surges-and-nike-earnings-loom\/60367\/","title":{"rendered":"Bullish Momentum Drives Futures Higher as Energy Surges and Nike Earnings Loom"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the final trading day of the first quarter of 2026 arrives this Tuesday, March 31st, Wall Street is signaling a robust opening. Premarket<\/a> activity suggests that investors are shaking off recent volatility, with futures across all major indexes trading firmly in the green. This optimism comes amid a significant surge in energy prices and a flurry of corporate earnings reports that are shaping the narrative for the start of the spring season.<\/p>\n

Futures and Index Performance<\/h2>\n

The premarket<\/a> session has been characterized by steady buying pressure. S&P 500<\/a> Futures (ES=F<\/a>) are currently up 48.50 points, or 0.76%, trading at 6,436.75. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Futures (NQ=F<\/a>) are also showing strength, gaining 159.75 points (0.69%) to reach 23,299.50. Leading the pack in percentage gains are the Dow Futures (YM=F<\/a>), which have climbed 363.00 points, or 0.80%, to 45,828.00.<\/p>\n

The positive sentiment is underpinned by a massive rally in the commodities sector. Crude Oil Futures (CL=F<\/a>) have jumped 1.26% to $104.18 per barrel, providing a significant tailwind for energy-related equities. Meanwhile, Gold<\/a> Futures (GC=F<\/a>) are also trending higher, up 0.59% at $4,584.40, as some investors maintain a hedge against persistent inflationary pressures.<\/p>\n

Sector Trends and Technical Outlook<\/h2>\n

The energy sector is the clear standout today. The United States Oil Fund (USO<\/a>) is up a staggering 4.53% in early activity, supported by strong bullish momentum and volume trends. Financials and Insurance are also showing signs of a potential breakout. The Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF<\/a>) is up 1.15%, while the SPDR S&P Insurance ETF (KIE<\/a>) has gained 1.61%. Technical analysts note an "Extreme Bollinger Squeeze" in both sectors, suggesting that a major directional move is imminent.<\/p>\n

Conversely, the semiconductor and clean energy sectors are facing headwinds. The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH<\/a>) is down 3.93%, reflecting a bearish squeeze breakout. Similarly, Solar Power (TAN<\/a>) and Cannabis (MSOS<\/a>) stocks are underperforming, with the latter dropping nearly 4% as distribution signals outweigh buying interest.<\/p>\n

Corporate News and Premarket Movers<\/h2>\n

In individual stock news, 3 E Network Technology Group Ltd (MASK<\/a>) is the morning's top gainer, skyrocketing 57.3% on high volume. Artelo Biosciences Inc. (ARTL<\/a>) is also seeing significant interest, rising 28.3%. On the downside, PepGen Inc. (PEPG<\/a>) has plummeted 45.9% following clinical updates, while Phreesia Inc. (PHR<\/a>) is down 26.8%.<\/p>\n

The earnings calendar is particularly busy today. Before the opening bell, we saw results from McCormick & Company Incorporated (MKC<\/a>), which reported an estimated EPS of $0.61, and TD SYNNEX Corporation (SNX<\/a>). FactSet Research Systems Inc. (FDS<\/a>) also released its Q2 2026 figures.<\/p>\n

However, the main event will occur after the market close. Retail giant Nike Inc. (NKE<\/a>) is scheduled to report Q3 2026 earnings, with analysts looking for an EPS of $0.29. As a bellwether for global consumer discretionary spending, Nike\u2019s guidance will be crucial for market sentiment heading into April. Other notable after-hours reports include PVH Corp. (PVH<\/a>) and RH (RH<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Upcoming Market Catalysts<\/h2>\n

As traders navigate the final hours of Q1, attention is shifting toward tomorrow\u2019s economic data, including manufacturing figures and the ADP employment report. Investors are also closely monitoring Federal Reserve commentary for any hints regarding interest rate paths for the second half of the year. With ConAgra Brands Inc. (CAG<\/a>) and Cal-Maine Foods Inc. (CALM<\/a>) set to report tomorrow morning, the focus on food inflation and consumer staples will remain high. For today, the market appears poised to finish the quarter on a high note, provided the afternoon's earnings don't deliver any major surprises.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the final trading day of the first quarter of 2026 arrives this Tuesday, March 31st, Wall Street is signaling […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50312,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"rank_math_schema_Article":[],"rank_math_focus_keyword":[],"rank_math_description":[],"financial_data_references":[],"stock_symbols_mentioned":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6824,94],"tags":[7080,95,1807,1876,3710,4223,4350,4380,4457,5030],"class_list":["post-60367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-market-update","tag-nike","tag-nasdaq","tag-earnings","tag-sp-500","tag-federal-reserve","tag-inflation","tag-dow-jones","tag-stock-market","tag-oil-prices","tag-energy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}