Stock Futures Drift Higher Ahead of Zelensky Visit

Stock futures were inching higher on Sunday evening as stocks prepared to open for the week in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Stock futures were drifting higher as investors prepared for another week of slow August trading and for a White House visit by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The high-stakes trip, with Zelensky accompanied by several European leaders on Monday, comes after President Donald Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

After 6 p.m. Sunday evening, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up about 30 points, or less than 0.1%, while S&P 500 futures were up 0.1% and Nasdaq futures had climbed 0.15%.

Other world leaders joining Zelensky include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

Trump came away from Friday’s summit in Alaska without the cease-fire agreement he wanted from Russia to end its war in Ukraine. Now the U.S. is pushing for a full peace agreement.

Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that the focus of Monday’s meeting is “some sort of land swap.” Putin proposed that Ukraine withdraw from and surrender its eastern Donbas region, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials familiar with the discussions.

On Friday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will give his final speech as Fed chair during the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Economic Policy Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyo. The theme of this year’s symposium, which runs from Thursday through Saturday, is “Labor Markets in Transition: Demographics, Productivity, and Macroeconomic Policy.”

The Dow ended last week up 770.51 points, or 1.7%, in the largest two-week point and percentage gain since the week ending July 3, according to Dow Jones Market Data. It ended the week just 0.2% shy of its first record close since December. The Dow is up 5.65% so far this year.

The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite both hit record highs last week and also posted their largest two-week point and percentage gains since the week ended July 3, according to Dow Jones Market Data. The S&P 500 closed up 0.9% last week and is up 9.66% this year.

The Nasdaq closed up 0.8% last week and is up 11.97% so far this year.

Write to Janet H. Cho at janet.cho@dowjones.com