MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stock Futures Inch Higher, Putting The S&P 500 On Track For Another Record

Roku shares trade lower after soaring in their debut last week

U.S. stock futures on Monday pointed to a small rise at the open, putting the main benchmarks on track to score fresh records as this year's fourth quarter starts.

How key stock indexes are performing

S&P 500 futures advanced by 3.40 points, or 0.2%, to 2,519.50, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 43 points, or 0.2%, to 22,389.00. Nasdaq-100 futures tacked on 11.50 points, or 0.2%, to 5,994.00.

On Friday, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite finished at all-time closing highs (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stocks-set-for-weaker-open-but-monthly-gains-set-to-remain-intact-2017-09-29), and the Dow finished only 7.50 points below its Sept. 20 record close. The three main benchmarks posted weekly, monthly and quarterly gains.

What strategists are saying

Some strategists continue to sound optimistic as the fourth quarter -- historically the equity market's strongest -- kicks off Monday.

"We think a bullish bias is appropriate for Q4 and would generally feel comfortable adding exposure to stocks with positive technical catalysts, such as breakouts," said Katie Stockton, BTIG's chief technical strategist in a note. A breakout generally refers to a stock rallying to a fresh high.

Read more:Will the stock market live up to the 4th quarter's reputation for strength? (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/will-the-stock-market-live-up-to-the-4th-quarters-reputation-for-strength-2017-09-30)

Individual stocks that are getting attention

Shares in MGM Resorts International(MGM) dropped 5% in premarket action (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mgm-resorts-stock-falls-5-premarket-after-mandalay-bay-shooting-2017-10-02) in the wake of a mass shooting at the company's Mandalay Bay property in Las Vegas. A gunman opened fire (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/reports-of-dead-injured-after-mass-shooting-at-las-vegas-concert-2017-10-02) on a crowd at an outdoor country-music concert in Vegas on Sunday night, leaving at least 50 people dead and more than 200 injured.

Streaming video company Roku Inc.'s stock traded 5% lower in premarket action. The new issue surged in its trading debut Thursday, then jumped again Friday.

See:Roku IPO valuation nearly doubles in two sessions (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/roku-ipo-valuation-doubles-in-less-than-two-sessions-2017-09-29)

And read: Wall Street's embrace of Roku ignores the ghosts of GoPro, Fitbit IPOs (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wall-streets-embrace-of-roku-ignores-the-ghosts-of-gopro-fitbit-ipos-2017-09-29)

Software giant Oracle Corp.'s stock (ORCL) could see active trading after Chairman Larry Ellison guaranteed late Sunday to offer database warehousing at less than half the price (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oracles-ellison-guarantees-database-warehousing-at-half-the-cost-of-amazons-2017-10-01) charged by rival Amazon.com Inc.(AMZN)

ESPN parent Walt Disney Co.(DIS) and cable operator Altice USA Inc.(ATUS) could make moves after they reached a tentative agreement late Sunday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/altice-disney-reach-tentative-deal-averting-espn-abc-blackout-2017-10-01) to keep Disney's channels on the air for millions of subscribers in the New York area.

Factors that could drive the market

Two September reports on manufacturing are due shortly after the opening bell, with one from Markit slated to hit at 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time, followed by ISM's at 10 a.m. Eastern. Economists polled by MarketWatch expect a reading of 58.1% for ISM's index, down from 58.8% in August (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ism-manufacturing-index-jumps-to-six-year-high-in-august-2017-09-01).

A release on construction spending is also scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m. Eastern, and economists expect 0.4% growth in August.

Check out:MarketWatch's Economic Calendar (http://www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendars/economic)

On the Federal Reserve front, Dallas Fed President Rob Kaplan is slated to take part in a moderated Q&A at the Fed El Paso branch at 2 p.m. Eastern Time.

What other assets are doing

Spain's IBEX stock benchmark traded about 1% lower after voters in Catalonia backed secession in a Sunday referendum (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/catalonia-leader-with-90-approval-we-have-the-right-to-be-independent-2017-10-01) that was marred by violent clashes and boycotted by opponents. The euro was losing ground, while the Stoxx Europe 600 (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-rise-for-8th-straight-session-as-euro-slides-after-violent-catalonia-vote-2017-10-02) rose.

Oil futures and gold futures were pulling back, as the ICE U.S. Dollar Index gained. Asian stocks closed mostly higher (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/australian-stocks-power-ahead-leading-asia-pacific-market-gains-2017-10-01), though several bourses were shut for holidays.

See: Brave investors might want to buy the dip on these 2 Catalonia-based banks (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/brave-investors-might-want-to-buy-the-dip-on-these-2-catalonia-based-banks-2017-10-02)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 02, 2017 07:28 ET (11:28 GMT)