Jan 2, 2026 Profit $443
It’s January 2, 2026—the very first trading day of the new year—and you’re tuned into the Daily Nasdaq Futures Recap, where we break down the macro backdrop, track realtime order flow, and walk through every single trade executed by our algorithmic system.
Let’s jump straight into today’s action.
Market News & Economic Landscape
We kicked off the session with a fairly light economic calendar, which kept the focus squarely on price action and positioning rather than headline risk.
At 9:45 AM, we had the S&P Global Manufacturing PMI
At 10:00 AM, construction spending data
No major tech earnings scheduled after the bell
Overall, it was a clean environment for technicals and order flow to take the lead.
Overnight Session
When futures reopened at 6:00 PM on Sunday evening, we saw steady momentum build as the index edged higher. Our robot identified the strength early and entered a long position.
Bitcoin also had a strong holiday performance, reclaiming all of its preholiday losses.
As Asian markets opened, we saw a brief dip in futures, and that initial long position was stopped out for a loss. Shortly after, momentum returned, prompting the robot to reenter on the long side. That trade was later closed for a profit.
As upside continuation followed, the robot once again positioned long, staying aligned with the prevailing trend.
Morning Session & US Open
Heading into the morning, the index consolidated around the 25,600 level. Our existing long position was closed, locking in gains and bringing realized profit to 140 dollars.
At 8:30 AM, there was no major economic data, and while the market dipped briefly, it quickly recovered. The robot took advantage of the pullback and initiated a short position.
However, once the 9:30 AM cash session opened, strength across semiconductor stocks quickly changed the tone. Chip names surged, with Intel gapping up roughly 4 percent. In response, the robot exited the short for a loss and immediately flipped long to align with the renewed upside momentum.
At 9:45 AM, the S&P PMI came in at 51.8, slightly below the prior 52.2. The market chopped around following the release, and the robot executed a few quick scalping trades. At that point, realized profit stood at 30 dollars, while the open long position carried about 100 dollars in unrealized gains.
Before 10:30 AM, Tesla dropped sharply, down about 4 percent and breaking below the 445 level. That move pressured the index lower, and the robot capitalized with another short trade. This one worked nicely, pushing realized gains up to 373 dollars.
Just before midday, the robot executed two additional scalping trades, both winners,
bringing total realized profit to 506 dollars.
Afternoon Session & Into the Close
The afternoon session was relatively calm for the broader tech market. Meanwhile, Bitcoin grabbed attention by breaking above the 90,000 level and continuing higher.
The Nasdaq traded in a tight range, while Tesla continued to weaken, slipping below the 440 level and briefly touching 438 level.
As expected for a Friday afternoon, especially the first trading day of the year, volume thinned out as traders wrapped up for the weekend. The robot shifted into scalping mode, taking smaller, quicker trades. It logged three winners and two losers during this stretch, pulling realized gains back to 416 dollars.
Into the closing bell, the robot executed a couple of final short trades, finishing the session with a total realized gain of 443 dollars.
Summary & Key Takeaways
Today marked the first trading day of 2026, and price action delivered a classic swingday profile—rallying, pulling back, and rotating throughout the session.
Our algorithmic system handled the volatility well, finishing the day with a net profit of 443 dollars while trading just one contract of the E micro futures. That’s a very solid and encouraging start to the new year.
Yu, Edward