Stock futures Monday trade flat to mildly higher, as corporate buybacks accelerate, reinforcing equity demand into year-end. Analysts see this as a stabilizing force in market valuation. The other part of the story has been energy transition metals. Headlines on tariffs, supply chokes, and national policy from producer nations have made for a volatile year in a basket of transition metals such as copper ( HG=F ), lithium, and cobalt. Shares of the electric vehicle maker have rallied more than 32% over the past month, bringing its year-to-date return above 9%. This rally can "be put in the context of Tesla as the 'OG meme stonk,'" said analyst Dan Levy, who uses slang for original ("OG") and stock ("stonk"). Stock futures Monday are slightly positive after OPEC+ signaled steady production cuts, bolstering oil-linked equity futures and reinforcing energy sector earnings projections.
