If you were expecting U.S. stock futures to go wild on Sunday night, you'd be disappointed. Despite some pretty dramatic weekend news out of Venezuela—including American strikes that resulted in the capture of authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro—the major index futures are barely budging.
As of late Sunday evening, S&P 500 Futures are up just 0.09% at 6,907.25, while Nasdaq Futures show slightly more enthusiasm at 25,467.25, up 0.32%. The Dow Futures are essentially flat at 48,613.00, down a negligible 0.01%.
The calm in broad market futures contrasts sharply with what's happening in energy stocks. President Donald Trump wasted no time on Saturday announcing that U.S. energy companies are ready to pour billions into Venezuela, which happens to sit on the world's largest proven oil reserves—303 billion barrels, representing 17% of global reserves. That's a lot of oil.
Energy Stocks Light Up After Hours
Investors clearly see opportunity in the Venezuela situation, at least when it comes to energy exposure. Leading U.S. oil stocks with ties to Latin America's energy sector absolutely soared in overnight Sunday trading:
| Stocks / ETFs | After Hours Performance |
| Chevron Corp. (CVX) | +10.97% |
| Halliburton Co. (HAL) | +18.01% |
| Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) | +10.80% |
| SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (XOP) | +2.26% |
Halliburton leading the pack with an 18.01% jump tells you everything you need to know about market expectations for infrastructure development in Venezuela's oil sector.
Trump's Other Weekend Messaging
Venezuela wasn't the only country on Trump's mind this weekend. He also issued warnings toward Mexico on Saturday, stating that "something's gonna have to be done with Mexico" to address drug trafficking concerns at America's southern border. Regional tensions, it seems, are running high.
How Global Markets Are Responding
Asian markets opened Monday with mixed signals. Japan's Nikkei 225 jumped 2.50% to trade at 51,597.05, driven primarily by defense, engineering, and heavy industry stocks—sectors that tend to benefit from geopolitical developments. China's SSE Composite Index added 0.50%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng and Australia's ASX 200 slipped into negative territory.
The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) is up 0.14% on Sunday at 98.562. Interestingly, the dollar is finding support despite regional tensions, likely boosted by renewed petro-dollar momentum as markets contemplate increased U.S. energy involvement in Venezuela.
What's Ahead for Monday
There are no major earnings releases scheduled for Monday, but investors will be watching economic data closely. The ISM Manufacturing Index drops early in the day, along with auto sales figures that could provide insight into consumer spending trends.
The real question is whether Monday's opening bell will maintain Sunday night's relative calm or if traders will start pricing in more dramatic shifts as the Venezuela situation develops.