DJIA futures up 259 points (Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - New York, 15 Jul - US futures were higher as investors took stock of the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump this weekend and prepared for a busy week of earnings.

The so-called 'Trump trade' is back center-stage after the attempt on Trump's life boosted expectations the former president will win the presidential elections for the Republican party. Data from betting marketplace PredictIt indicated his chances have ticked higher to more than 65%, putting him in a strong position with just over here months to go before the vote.

The Republican National Convention, expected to rubber stamp Trump as presidential candidate, is scheduled to begin today.

Shares in Trump Media & Technology, the parent company of Truth Social, surged more than 45% in premarket trade while bitcoin prices also spiked. Trump is a supporter of bitcoin.

On the earnings front, this week will see quarterly updates from the likes of Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Johnson & Johnson and Netflix. Today BlackRock reported record assets under management of 10.7 trillion dollars in the second quarter, sending its shares higher, while Goldman Sachs said its second quarter earnings had jumped 150%.

Investors will be closely monitoring a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell later today for signs on the trajectory of interest rates after recent data pointed to a slowdown in inflation.

At the end of last week. Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee said mild June inflation data had made him more confident lower interest rates were closer to hand.

Futures on the Dow Jones were up 259.00 points, or 0.64%, S&P 500 futures were up 29.75 points, or 0.53%, while futures on the Nasdaq were 126.50 points, or 0.62%, higher.

AAA-Sje

(RADIOCOR) 15-07-24 13:55:34 (0343) 5 NNNN