Post-Fed, Post-OPEX: Futures Eye Post-Cut Drift Into Flash PMIs — Sep 22–26, 2025 Scalper’s Playbook Update Checklist Refresh macro backdrop: Fed decision, labor data, regional PMIs, LEI, cross-asset closes. Rebuild sentiment/positioning after quad witching and record equity highs. Reframe technical levels/behaviors for ES/NQ/YM/RTY for Monday’s open. Map week-ahead calendar (flash PMIs, housing, durables, PCE) and trade implications. Revise foundational macro themes (policy path, growth/inflation mix, flows). Codify scalper playbook: VWAP/OR, confirmations, cross-asset tells, risk controls. Set open scenarios and highlight key risk pivots; embed affiliate link. Validation: Checklist covers all transformation steps for a current, trader-ready post. Ultra-Low Latency Execution:   Colocate and cut slippage with QuantVPS (1 ms routes to major futures venues). Sign up here. Marke...

Quad Witching Friday: Futures Hold Near Highs After Claims Reversal, Philly Fed Pops, LEI Slips — Sep 19, 2025 Scalper’s Playbook Market Overview & Sentiment News Since Wednesday’s 25 bp “risk-management” cut, markets have repriced toward gradual easing while reassessing growth. Thursday’s data mix tightened the narrative: initial jobless claims cooled sharply from last week’s spike, the Philly Fed surged to its best since January, and the Conference Board’s LEI fell again—signaling softer momentum ahead even as manufacturing sentiment firmed. Rates are hovering near ~4.0–4.1% on the 10-year, VIX sits in the mid-teens, gold is on a fifth weekly rise, and crude is softer despite a large crude draw given a heavy distillate build and demand worries. Overnight tone is steady into today’s quarterly options expiration (“quad witching”), with microstructure flows likely to dominate intraday leadership versus fresh macro catalysts. Use a Virtual Private Server: ...

Fed Decision Day: Futures Flat as Retail Sales Beat, IP Firms, HMI Steady — Sep 17, 2025 Scalper’s Playbook Market Overview & Sentiment News U.S. equity index futures trade near flat into the FOMC (statement 2:00 ET; Powell 2:30 ET). August retail sales beat keeps growth signals alive as yesterday’s IP firmed at the margin and builder sentiment stayed subdued. Oil is steady into the 10:30 ET EIA release, and 10Y yields hover near ~4.0–4.1%. Read: cautious, range-biased risk tone into the decision with sensitivity to Powell’s tone and the new SEP. Technical Analysis Expect a compressed AM range with expansions keyed to 10:30 / 14:00 / 14:30 ET. Rising volume on a VWAP loss favors mean-reversion shorts back toward mid/previous balance; VWAP holds with improving breadth support continuation flags. ES: Lean long above VWAP on higher lows + improving cumulative delta; flip short on decisive VWAP break with breadth deterioration. NQ: Momentum-skewed;...

Fed Decision Eve: Retail Sales & Industrial Production Set the Tone — Sep 16, 2025 Scalper’s Playbook Market Overview & Sentiment News U.S. equity index futures are modestly green into a front-loaded data day as traders position for a widely expected 25 bp Fed cut on Wednesday (statement 2:00 ET; press conference follows). Early U.S. data—Retail Sales (8:30), Industrial Production (9:15), and NAHB HMI (10:00)—will steer intraday leadership and the path of yields into the decision. Bonds lean duration-positive on cut odds while crude’s firm tone keeps inflation watchers alert. Net read: constructive but data-sensitive risk tone into the Fed. Use a Virtual Private Server:   With QuantVPS , you can execute trades with a 1 ms latency. Sign up here! Technical Analysis Price discovery likely builds a morning range with expansions keyed to 8:30 / 9:15 / 10:00 ET. Rising volume on a VWAP loss favors mean-reversion shorts back toward mid/previous bal...

Futures Poised for Fed Week: Empire State Miss, Bills Auctions, Oil Bid — Sep 15, 2025 Trading Blueprint Market Overview & Sentiment News U.S. equity index futures enter Fed week with a mild positive bias but tight ranges. The September Empire State Manufacturing Index came in below expectations, nudging growth sentiment softer while keeping the easing case intact. Crude is bid on supply-risk headlines tied to Russian infrastructure, sustaining energy-linked inflows and keeping inflation watchers alert. Separately, U.S.–China discussions add tape-bomb risk for mega-cap tech. Bottom line: risk tone constructive yet headline-sensitive into Wednesday’s policy statement and press conference. Futures near flat/up small: Positioning is cautious ahead of the Fed; breadth and rate path expectations will dictate whether early strength sticks. Empire State miss: The softer print cools the growth pulse and subtly reinforces the case for incremental policy easing. Oi...

Tariff Tussle & Tech Triumph: Your July 10 Equity Futures Playbook Market Overview & Sentiment News U.S. stock futures were broadly flat premarket, with S&P 500 and Dow futures near unchanged and Nasdaq futures up slightly under 0.1% as markets digest mixed data and headlines. President Trump’s announcement of 50% reciprocal tariffs on copper and Brazilian imports weighed on broad-market sentiment, adding a layer of geopolitical risk. Nvidia’s surge to a historic $4 trillion market cap continues to propel tech-driven momentum in equity futures. Delta Air Lines jumped 12% premarket on stronger-than-expected Q2 earnings and raised full-year guidance, boosting airline-linked futures. WK Kellogg spiked over 50% amid takeover chatter by Ferrero, fueling M&A-driven moves in consumer staples futures. Bitcoin hovered near $109,000 and 10-year Treasury yields held around 4.4%, reflecting a nuanced risk environment. Economic Events ...

Tech Surge & Tariff Jitters: Your July 09 Equity Futures Playbook Market Overview & Sentiment News U.S. S&P 500 futures +0.16%, Dow futures +0.18%, Nasdaq futures +0.20% premarket on modest gains amid trade-policy headlines and Fed minutes anticipation. President Trump’s tariff letters and proposed copper tariffs weigh on sentiment, but equity futures remain resilient ahead of an August 1 deadline. NVIDIA nears a $4 trillion market cap, up 1.2% premarket, fueling tech-driven futures strength. Starbucks-linked M&A chatter lifts consumer-discretionary futures, with SBUX +1.8% premarket. Merck’s $10 billion takeover of Verona Pharma sparks biotech and health-care futures turbulence. AES Corp. jumps 14.5% premarket on sale rumors, underpinning energy and industrial futures. Bitcoin around $109 000 and 10‑year Treasury yields near 4.41% inform mixed risk-appetite dynamics. Economic Events & Calendar 07:00 AM E...

Tariff Tease & API Shock: Your July 08 Equity Futures Playbook Market Overview & Sentiment News President Trump delayed reciprocal tariffs on 14 nations until August 1, easing immediate trade-war fears; futures were mixed with S&P up 0.12%, Nasdaq up 0.25%, and Dow down 0.08% premarket. Amazon’s Prime Day kicked off with projected $23.8 B in sales, boosting e-commerce stocks and tech futures. Tesla rebounded 1% after Monday’s 6.7% drop on CEO Musk’s political announcement, supporting tech-led futures momentum. Meta Platforms hired Apple’s AI lead, fueling AI sector optimism and underpinning semiconductor futures. Bitcoin traded just below $109 k, and Treasury yields rose to ~4.42%, influencing risk sentiment in equity futures. Oil and gold futures retraced lower after API data showed a surprise crude build of +0.68 M barrels, pressuring commodity-linked names. Economic Events & Calendar 04:30 PM ET – API Crude Oil Sto...

Calm Before the Fireworks: Your July 03 Equity Futures Playbook Market Overview & Sentiment News Tech & Retail Rally: U.S. stock futures are steady near record highs after a strong session on Wednesday. A surge in Tesla and Nike shares helped the S&P 500 and Nasdaq close at all-time highs, fueling bullish momentum heading into today. Tariff Relief Boost: A trade agreement between the United States and Vietnam eased tariff tensions, providing an overnight boost for global markets. The MSCI World and STOXX 600 indexes climbed on optimism from lower Vietnamese export tariffs. Jobs Data Caution: Equity futures are flat to slightly up ahead of Friday’s June Nonfarm Payrolls report at 8:30 AM ET. With the holiday-shortened session and early close at 1:00 PM ET, traders remain in a cautious wait-and-see mode. Chip Reprieve Rally: The U.S. lifted export curbs on chip design software to China, sparking premarket gains of over 5% in Synopsys and Cade...

Futures Focus: ADP & Crude Draw Power Early Market Moves Market Overview & Sentiment News U.S. Equity Futures: ES +0.4%, NQ +0.5%, YM +0.3% as markets rally on an unexpected ADP jobs beat and strong tech guidance. ADP Employment Change: Reported +37K vs 90K expected, signaling labor resilience ahead of Friday’s Nonfarm Payrolls. Tech Earnings: Nvidia shares up 3% premarket after upbeat Q2 outlook; Apple and Microsoft also trading higher on strong results. Oil & Commodities: Crude futures down 0.6% despite a 5.8M barrel draw, while gold edges up on safe-haven flows. Fed Watch: All eyes on Fed Bostic’s 11:00 AM speech—hawkish comments could temper further gains. Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg, Trading Economics, CME Group Foundational Analysis Labor Market Strength: ADP’s upside surprise underscores continued job demand, supporting cyclical sectors. Tech Outperformance: Positive guidance from mega-cap firms is prope...

Futures Frontier: Tech Turbulence and Fed Speeches Drive Early Moves Market Overview & Sentiment News US Equity Futures: ES1! down ~0.1%, NQ1! -0.2%, YM1! -0.05% as traders digest tech sector pressure and ongoing Senate tax bill negotiations. Tech Sector Moves: Tesla shares dropped over 5% on CEO dispute with President Trump; Oracle reached record highs after a $30B cloud deal announcement. Trade & Geopolitics: U.S. futures slip amid trade war concerns and Senate budget wrangling; China pledges crackdown on price wars to combat deflation risks. Commodities & FX: Gold steadied near session highs on safe‑haven flows; crude oil futures up 0.7% after larger‑than‑expected API draw; dollar marginally weaker vs major currencies. Sources: Reuters, Investopedia, Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, Saxo Bank Technical Analysis ES (S&P 500 Futures): After holding above VWAP (~6,240) overnight, ES softened below VWAP premarket before findi...