A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell on May 30, 2025, in New York City.
Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images
Stock futures fell on Sunday as Wall Street looks to the start of a new month of trading following a strong performance in May.
S&P 500 futures traded down about 0.3%, along with Nasdaq-100 futures. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average also declined 100 points, or 0.2%.
On Friday, the S&P 500 closed out the month of May with a more than 6% gain, its best monthly performance since November 2023. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite surged more than 9% for the month and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose about 4%.
That said, Morgan Stanley's Chris Toomey is skeptical about whether May's market momentum will continue.
"We're probably still range-bound," the managing director told CNBC's "Closing Bell" on Friday. "The concern we've got is that while I think we've taken [out] the worst-case scenario with regards to the 'liberation day' [tariffs], we're in a situation where I think the market's right now probably pricing in the best-case scenario."
He added: "Everyone's talking about the fact that there's probably going to be 10% tariffs across the board, 30% for China. I think that's kind of baked in."
President Donald Trump's tariffs have been in legal limbo following two key court rulings last week. The U.S. Court of International Trade struck down much of the president's steep levies Wednesday, ordering his administration to stop collecting them. A day later, however, a federal appeals court granted the administration's request to temporarily pause that ruling, effectively reinstating the duties.
Trump's top economic advisors have remained optimistic in the tariffs even with the recent legal challenge, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Fox News over the weekend that the tariffs are "not going away." Additionally, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told ABC News that he's "very confident that the judges will uphold this law."
Hassett also suggested that Trump and China's President Xi Jinping could discuss trade as early as this week, though he said no date for the talks has been set. His comments come as trade tensions between the U.S. and China ramped up last week, with Trump writing in a Truth Social post Friday that China has "TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US."
Meanwhile, investors will be eyeing a slew of reports due this week that could provide insight into how tariffs have affected the U.S. economy, including the key May nonfarm payrolls reading on Friday.
Investors are making short Treasury bets like Warren Buffett amid bond volatility
Investors are leaning into shorter-term Treasury bills alongside Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett.
"There's lots of concern and volatility, but on the short and middle end, we're seeing less volatility and stable yields," Joanna Gallegos, CEO and founder of bond ETF company BondBloxx, told CNBC's "ETF Edge" last week.
Her remarks come as the 3-month Treasury yield sits above 4.3%, while the 2-year Treasury yield and 10-year Treasury yield are at 3.9% and about 4.4%, respectively.
Last month, Treasury yields spiked amid concerns that a new U.S. tax bill would exacerbate the country's budget deficit, with the 30-year Treasury yield at one point reaching its highest level since October 2023.
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— Jason Gewirtz, Sean Conlon
Stocks had a positive week last week
Stocks saw gains last week, bolstering May's strong performance for each of the three major averages:
- The S&P 500 gained 1.88% week to date, its second positive week in three.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.6% week to date, its second positive week in three.
- The Nasdaq Composite rose 2.01% week to date, its second positive week in three.
- The Russell 2000 advanced 1.3% week to date, its seventh positive week in eight.
— Sean Conlon, Christopher Hayes
Here's how stocks performed in May
Stocks closed out the month of May with substantial gains:
- The S&P 500 climbed 6.15% month to date, breaking a three-month losing streak with its best monthly performance since November 2023, when it gained 8.92%.
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 3.94% month to date, breaking a three-month losing streak.
- The Nasdaq Composite surged 9.56% month to date, its best monthly performance since November 2023, when it gained 10.7%. This also marked its second positive month in a row.
- The Russell 2000 moved 5.2% higher month to date, also breaking a three-month losing streak with its best monthly performance since November 2024, when it gained 10.84%.
— Sean Conlon, Christopher Hayes
Stock futures open lower following winning May
Stock futures traded lower Sunday evening.
S&P 500 futures were down about 0.3% shortly after 6 p.m. ET, along with Nasdaq-100 futures. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 95 points, or 0.2%.
— Sean Conlon