Stock futures fall as oil comes off lows following historic plunge
On Monday, U.S. oil futures plunged below zero for the first time ever
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U.S. equity futures are indicating a lower open on Wall Street when trading begins on Tuesday.
The major futures markets are pointing to a decline of 1.6 percent.
U.S. crude is trading lower. The May contract which plunged on Monday, is down $6.30, trimming Monday's decline by $31.33 from the closing price of -$36.73. It was at roughly $60 at the start of the year.
The June contract is down $4.00 to $16.
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On Monday, U.S. oil futures plunged below zero with storage for crude nearly full as demand collapses due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Traders are still paying more than $20 for a barrel of U.S. oil to be delivered in June, which analysts consider to be closer to the “true” price of oil. Crude to be delivered next month, meanwhile, faces a stark problem: traders are running out of places to keep it, as factories, automobiles and airplanes sit idled around the world.
Few traders are buying and selling U.S. oil to be delivered in May. When trading contracts for it expire on Tuesday, the earliest delivery they’ll be able to buy is for June.
Brent crude, the standard for international oil pricing, is down $4.02 to $21.37.
In Asian markets on Tuesday, Tokyo’s Nikkei fell 1.9 percent, the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong lost 2.2 percent and China's Shanghai Composite gave up 0.9 percent.
In Europe, London's FTSE gave up 1.6 percent, Germany's DAX fell 2.7 percent and France's CAC declined 2.5 percent.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I:DJI | DOW JONES AVERAGES | 38460.92 | -42.77 | -0.11% |
| SP500 | S&P 500 | 5071.63 | +1.08 | +0.02% |
| I:COMP | NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX | 15712.748618 | +16.11 | +0.10% |
In the Monday session, the S&P 500 fell 51.40 points to 2,823.16. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.4 percent and the Nasdaq dropped 1 percent.
More recently, countries around the world have tentatively eased up on business-shutdown restrictions meant to slow the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 170,000 people and infected more than 2.4 million.
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Health experts warn the pandemic is far from over and new flareups could ignite if governments allow a premature rush to ”normal” life. Many analysts also say some of the recent rally for stocks is based on overly optimistic expectations for a fast economic rebound once shutdowns end.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.