Nasdaq 100 E-mini futures gained traction as growth stocks recovered from recent selloffs. Momentum oscillators hint at continued uptrend if GDP figures align with forecasts. Oklo (OKLO) closed up more than +5% after Barclays initiated coverage on the stock with a recommendation of overweight with a price target of $146. Traditionally, futures were created for institutional buyers, and involved assets such as crude oil or corn. Hedgingâor locking in the price of these products in advanceâgave both the buyers and sellers of these assets a way to take some of the volatility out of the market to mitigate big price swings. When retail buyers got into the picture, they werenât interested in taking possession of oil or corn, of course, but rather wanted to buy and sell futures contracts as a way to speculate on the price direction of these underlying assets and manage portfolio risk. Eventually, the futures market expanded to include individual stocks and indexes like the S&P 500. Nasdaq 100 E-mini futures remained firm as investors balanced inflation data with strong cloud computing earnings. Chart patterns imply further upside if geopolitical risks stay subdued.