NQ +1.13% Ahead of UoM Sentiment: Key Levels for Risk-On/Off
Daily pre-market brief for Friday, April 24, 2026: prior session, overnight markets, US futures, and key levels.
NQ +1.13% Ahead of UoM Sentiment: Key Levels for Risk-On/Off
The market doesn't care about your feelings. But it does care about these numbers. Read every word.
🔥 What You Need to Know Right Now
The S&P is slipping with VIX at N/A — crushed — complacency is dangerous. Before you place a single trade today, here's everything that happened while you were sleeping and exactly what it means for your game plan.
The single biggest move right now: NQ +1.13%
📊 Prior Session — How We Closed
| Index | Close | Change |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | $7,108.40 | -0.41% |
| Nasdaq | $24,438.50 | -0.89% |
| Dow | $49,310.32 | -0.36% |
| VIX | N/A | +0.00% |
🌏 Overnight Markets — What the World Is Saying
The overnight session told a story before most US traders even opened their eyes. Here's the global tape:
| Market | Price | Change | Signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nikkei | $N/A | +0.00% | 🔴 |
| Hang Seng | $25,978.07 | +0.00% | 🔴 |
| FTSE | $10,409.43 | -0.22% | 🔴 |
| DAX | $24,102.64 | +0.00% | 🔴 |
⚡ US Futures — The Pre-Market Battle Lines
These are your levels. Know them before the bell or trade blind.
| Contract | Price | Change | Bias |
|---|---|---|---|
| ES (S&P) | $7,044.70 | +0.26% | 🟢 Bullish |
| NQ (Nasdaq) | $26,574.51 | +1.13% | 🟢 Bullish |
| YM (Dow) | $48,766.14 | -0.21% | 🔴 Bearish |
| RTY (Russell) | $2,750.63 | +0.21% | 🟢 Bullish |
| CL (Crude Oil) | $98.22 | +0.09% | 🟢 |
| GC (Gold) | $4,760.62 | -0.15% | 🔴 |
Oil is moving 0.1% pre-market. Gold flat at $4,760.62. These commodities are the canary in the coal mine — and right now they're telling you something.
📰 Market-Moving Headlines
Don't trade on news. But if you don't know what news is driving the tape, you're flying blind.
- S&P 500 futures rise as Intel soars, investors bet on Iran talks restarting
- One by One, Europe’s Safest Government Bonds Fall From Grace
- Iran’s Foreign Minister to Travel to Pakistan, Oman and Russia
- Ignoring the War Has Been Working for Long-Term Investors
- Cava Gets Lone Sell Rating After Fast-Casual Chain’s 123% Rally
📅 What's On Deck — Economic Landmines
This is where sessions get made or destroyed. Every one of these is a potential volatility spike. Have your levels ready BEFORE these hit.
- 🟡 Revised UoM Consumer Sentiment (est: 48.5, prev: 47.6) — Today
🌙 Overnight Impact — What Moved While You Slept
Overnight tape was driven by:
- S&P 500 futures rise as Intel soars, investors bet on Iran talks restarting
- One by One, Europe’s Safest Government Bonds Fall From Grace
- Iran’s Foreign Minister to Travel to Pakistan, Oman and Russia
These are the stories on every desk's screen this morning. Expect them to dictate the first hour of price action.
🦅 Trump Watch — Market-Moving Posts
Market-moving posts from @realDonaldTrump in the last 24 hours:
- [6:51 PM ET] It was my Great Honor to meet with the Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger (Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors), and the Supervisor’s Chief of Staff, Anna Mouradian, to disc...
- [5:21 PM ET] The President of the United States, DONALD J. TRUMP, Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and Ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, met tod...
- [2:21 PM ET] For those people, fewer in number now than ever before, that are reading The Failing New York Times, or watching Fake News CNN, that think that I am “anxious” to end the War (if you would even call it that!) with Iran...
- [9:27 AM ET] Very true!!! President DJTMarc Thiessen: Trump doesn’t need a deal to get what he wants from Iran: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/04/22/trump-best-move-iran-negotiations/
Tweets and Truth Social posts from the President have historically moved indices, sector ETFs, and specific tickers within minutes. Trade the reaction, not the narrative.
💰 Earnings On Deck
Today's earnings can whipsaw indices — here are the names big enough to move the tape:
🔔 Before the Open:
| Ticker | Company | EPS Est |
|---|---|---|
| PG | Procter & Gamble Company (The) | $1.56 |
| HCA | HCA Healthcare, Inc. | $7.17 |
| SLB | SLB Limited | $0.51 |
| NSC | Norfolk Southern Corporation | $2.51 |
| CHTR | Charter Communications, Inc. | $9.97 |
| NMR | Nomura Holdings Inc ADR | $0.21 |
Pre-market earnings (BMO) move ES futures before the open. After-hours earnings (AMC) set tomorrow's opening gap.
🌙 After-Hours / Pre-Market Movers
Biggest percentage moves since yesterday's close — these are where the liquidity hunters are circling:
| Symbol | Last | % Change |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 OGN | $11.16 | +29.77% |
| 🔴 SKLZ | $9.00 | -27.71% |
| 🟢 INTC | $83.47 | +24.99% |
| 🟢 PDFS | $51.89 | +18.31% |
| 🟢 WKC | $27.74 | +17.84% |
| 🔴 STNE | $12.16 | -16.43% |
🎯 The Bottom Line
VIX at N/A means the market is pricing in minimal uncertainty today. That's not a reason to hide — that's a reason to be precise.
Know your expected move ranges. Know your session levels. Trade the structure, not the noise.
Not financial advice. For educational purposes only. All levels are estimates based on available pre-market data.
Written by
PonoTrading Team
PonoTrading publishes futures trading education, market structure notes, expected move analysis, and practical indicator workflows for retail traders.
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