U.S. stock futures rose Monday morning as the S&P 500 wraps up its best August performance since the 1980s.
Futures for Dow Jones Industrials eked up two points early Monday, to 28,613.
Futures for the S&P 500 moved higher 2.75 points, or 0.1%, at 3,508.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite took on 19 points, or 0.2%, to 11,965.
The S&P 500 is up 7.2% month to date, putting the broader-market index on track for its biggest August gain since 1984. The Dow has rallied more than 8% this month and is also headed for its best August in 36 years.
This month’s gains have pushed the S&P 500 to record levels, officially confirming a new bull market has started. The Dow, meanwhile, erased its 2020 losses on Friday, closing the session with a year-to-date gain 0.4%.
Two big stock splits take effect Monday. Apple shares gained 1% in pre-market trading as a four-for-one split took effect. Tesla shares added nearly 3% following its five-for-one split.
The August rally built on the market’s sharp rebound off the March 23 intraday lows. Since then, the Dow has climbed 57% and the S&P 500 is up 60.1%.
In an apparent long-term bet on the global economy, Warren Buffett announced Sunday that his Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate had acquired stakes of more than 5% in Japan’s five-leading trading companies.
Those companies are Itochu Corp., Marubeni Corp., Mitsubishi Corp., Mitsui & Co., and Sumitomo Corp. The five businesses import everything from metals to food into Japan and provide services to manufacturers.
The Dow will kick off the week with three new constituents and with Apple having a much smaller influence on the 30-stock average.
Come Monday’s open, Salesforce, Amgen and Honeywell will be included in the Dow, replacing longtime component Exxon Mobil, Pfizer and Raytheon Technologies.
Overseas, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 gained 1.1% Monday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index faltered 1%.
Oil prices picked up 30 cents to $43.27 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices slipped $5.30 to $1,969.60.