US News: U.S. stock index futures edged higher Tuesday morning, December 2, 2025, giving Wall Street a cautiously positive start despite fresh evidence that American manufacturing remains stuck in contraction territory.
Futures tied to the S&P 500 gained about 0.3 percent, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added roughly 120 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.4 percent in premarket trading. The modest advance came as the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield held steady around 4.10 percent, continuing to elevate borrowing costs across the economy while keeping pressure on rate-sensitive sectors.
Monday’s closely watched Institute for Supply Management manufacturing index registered 48.2 for November, well below the 50 level that signals growth. The reading confirmed a ninth straight month of declining factory activity, driven by weaker new orders and production as companies remain cautious about capital spending in the current rate environment.
Investors are now shifting focus to a packed week of corporate earnings that will test whether resilient consumer spending and enterprise technology budgets can offset broader economic softness.
Standout pre-market movers included Nebius Group (NASDAQ: NBIS), which surged 5.6 percent without any specific headline, CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV) up 5.4 percent on continued momentum, and Synopsys (NASDAQ: SNPS), which jumped 4.9 percent after NVIDIA revealed a $2 billion strategic investment and expanded partnership in advanced chip-design tools.
On the downside, Bloom Energy (NYSE: BE) plunged 9.4 percent, AST SpaceMobile (NASDAQ: ASTS) dropped 6.4 percent, and insurer W.R. Berkley (NYSE: WRB) fell 6.1 percent.
The earnings calendar heats up Tuesday afternoon with Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW), and Pure Storage (NYSE: PSTG) all scheduled to report after the close. Results from the trio will provide the latest snapshot of enterprise software demand and cloud infrastructure spending as companies finalize 2026 budgets.
Discount retailers take center stage later in the week, with Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR) reporting Wednesday morning and Dollar General (NYSE: DG) following Thursday. Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ: ULTA) rounds out the key releases Thursday afternoon, offering an early read on holiday demand in the beauty category.
With the Federal Reserve widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged at its mid-December meeting but signal potential cuts next year, market participants will closely parse management commentary for clues on pricing power, margins, and capital allocation plans heading into 2025.
The major averages closed modestly lower Monday, leaving the S&P 500 just below recent record highs as traders look for fresh catalysts to extend the year-end rally.
