Here are the most important news, trends and analysis that investors need to start their trading day:
1. Wall Street seems to record another positive week
Traders on the New York Stock Exchange
Source: New York Stock Exchange
U.S. stock futures fell on Friday, the day after a mixed session that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average drop slightly from the previous record close, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached new record closes. All three stock benchmarks were moving towards their second consecutive positive week, in a continuation of the February strength. In the accumulated result for the month, the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq increased 4.8%, 5.4% and 7.3%, respectively. The Dow and S&P 500 broke two-month winning streak in January, while the Nasdaq rose for the fourth consecutive month in January.
2. The Disney + boom helps make up for the fall in theme parks
Bob Chapek, CEO of the Walt Disney Company and former head of Walt Disney Parks and Experiences, speaks during a preview of D23 Expo 2019 in Anaheim, California on August 22, 2019.
Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg via Getty Images
Disney shares rose about 2% in the pre-market after the company reported an adjusted first-quarter tax profit of 32 cents per share. Analysts had expected a loss of 41 cents per share. Revenue fell 22% to $ 16.25 billion from the previous year, although it exceeded estimates. Because of Covid, Disney saw a drop in theme park audiences and box office results, but the success of its streaming video service continued. Disney + added more than 21 million subscribers during the quarter, totaling 94.9 million.
3. White House to address travel and educational issues
A traveler wearing a face mask is seen at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, United States, on February 2, 2021.
Ting Shen | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
CEOs of major airlines are expected to meet on Friday with White House response coordinator Covid-19 to discuss travel-related issues, according to Reuters. The meeting comes at a time when airlines, unions and industry groups are strongly opposed to the possibility of requiring Covid pre-boarding tests for domestic flights.
A 3rd grade class at Martin Luther King Jr. Primary School in southeastern Washington, DC, February 5, 2021.
Evelyn Hockstein | The Washington Post | Getty Images
The CDC plans to issue new guidelines on Friday on how to reopen US schools in the safest possible way. The pressure to reopen or expand face-to-face learning has been building for months, as students and parents tire of remote classes. The reopening of schools is one of the top priorities of the Biden administration.
4. The US guarantees over 200 million doses of Covid vaccine
President Joe Biden speaks during a visit to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, on February 11, 2021.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
The White House struck deals for an additional 100 million doses of Pfizer’s Covid vaccine and another 100 million for Moderna. During Thursday’s visit to the National Institutes of Health, President Joe Biden said the United States will now have sufficient supplies of the two-dose vaccines to inoculate 300 million Americans by the end of July. Biden is trying to speed up the pace of vaccines after a slower-than-expected implementation under former President Donald Trump. Approximately 34.7 million of about 331 million Americans received at least the first dose of the vaccine, according to the CDC.
5. It’s the defense’s turn at Trump’s impeachment trial
Members of the defense team of former President Donald Trump, David Schoen, center-left, Michael van der Veen, center-right, and Bruce Castor, center-right, arrive at the Capitol before the start of the third day of the impeachment trial in Senate on Thursday, February 11, 2021.
Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Defense lawyers at Trump’s impeachment trial should start arguing why the former president should not be convicted of inciting last month’s deadly attack on the United States Capitol. They are prepared to admit that the violence was as traumatic, unacceptable and illegal as Democratic prosecutors have described. But they also plan to argue that Trump had nothing to do with it. The argument is likely to appeal to Republican senators who want to be seen as condemning violence without condemning the former president.
– Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow CNBC blogs on markets, the pandemic and Trump’s impeachment trial.