Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on January 06, 2026 in New York City.

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Stock futures traded quietly on Sunday evening as investors braced for a pivotal week that could help set the tone for markets early in the new year.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 40 points. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq-100 futures both inched down 0.1%.

The market is coming off fresh record highs. The S&P 500 and the 30-stock Dow both finished Friday’s session at new peaks, capping a winning week for the major benchmarks. The S&P 500 rose more than 1% on the week, while the Dow and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.3% and 1.9%, respectively.

Traders are preparing for the kickoff of earnings season, with major Wall Street banks set to report results in the days ahead. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are all scheduled to release quarterly numbers, offering investors fresh insight into the health of consumer spending, dealmaking activity and trading revenues.

Also on the calendar is the latest inflation reading, due out Tuesday, which has taken on added significance following Friday’s December jobs report. That release showed that the labor market continues to cool but remains resilient enough to keep the economy on a stable footing.

The figures reinforced expectations that the Federal Reserve is likely to hold off on interest rate cuts for now, even as economic momentum shows signs of cooling.

"Risk-on sentiment remains intact for now in portfolios, but the data effectively removes any chance of a January Fed rate cut," said Lara Castleton, U.S. head of portfolio construction and strategy at Janus Henderson Investors.

Investors are also keeping a close eye on geopolitical risks. President Donald Trump is weighing options to intervene in Iran, according to multiple reports on Sunday. He also warned Cuba that no more Venezuelan oil or money will be flowing into the island unless Cuban leaders strike a deal with Washington. And on Friday, Trump threatened to take action on Greenland "whether they like it or not," as he pushes to acquire the Danish territory for the U.S.

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Expect a productive earnings season from major banks, portfolio manager says

Macrae Sykes, a portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds, said he’s expecting a solid earnings season from the major U.S. banks as results begin to roll out next week, citing resilient capital markets activity and strong shareholder returns over the past year.

Sykes noted that while the government shutdown from Oct. 1 through Nov. 12 created some disruption, its impact on quarterly results appears manageable. Outside of that period, he said banks likely saw another productive quarter for capital markets and investment banking, alongside steady fee generation from asset management and wealth advisory businesses.

"Looking for a productive earnings season from the major banks," Sykes said. "We expect further strong growth in earnings due to tailwinds from US economic growth, further acceleration in banking driven by announced M&A and IPOs and expansion of Net Interest Income from a steeper yield curve and easier Fed."

— Yun Li