This morning, the S&P 500 Index e-mini futures (ES-H3) are trading lower by 1.00 point to $1455.25 per contract. Once again, the major stock indexes seem to be quiet ahead of the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Traders and investors seem to be digesting the gains in the market from last week. Often, the markets will be quiet ahead of earnings season which is scheduled to kick off later this afternoon when Alcoa Inc (AA) reports its earnings. This could be the calm before the storm as the month of January is always a very volatile trading month.
Last night, the important and highly followed Nikkei 225 Index (Japan) finished lower by 0.86 percent. This decline in the Nikkei 225 Index tells us that many of the Japanese ADR's are susceptible to a pullback at this time. Some leading Japanese equities that could be volatile today include the iShares MSCI Japan Index (ETF) (EWJ), Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) (TM), Sony Corporation (ADR) (SNE), and Canon Inc. (ADR) (CAJ).
Below you may find the video.