The Trading Post | 06.01.26

Good morning,

US stock futures are pointing higher to kick off June after a record-setting May, AI and chip names are still carrying the tape like a caffeinated intern, oil is bouncing as Gulf tensions linger, jobs data is waiting later this week with a clipboard and bad intentions, cash still pays around 4%, and momentum traders are hunting fresh June breakouts before the crowd turns them into confetti.

Let’s jump in.

Yesterday’s Post-Market Performance

As of 05.29.26 market close.

Market News

• Tech melt-up rolls into June as AI chips drive fresh S&P futures highs: S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures are pointing higher after a big-cap tech-led May, with traders watching whether ES and NQ can hold prior breakout zones instead of pulling the classic “gap up, trap everyone, fade by lunch” routine. For active traders, shallow VWAP pullbacks and prior-high retests remain the cleaner long setups; chase candles at the open only if you enjoy buying someone else’s exit liquidity. Yahoo Finance Reuters TheStreet

• AI and semiconductor leaders stay in command after May’s record run: AI bellwethers and chipmakers remain the market’s favorite shiny object, with momentum still strongest in liquid mega-cap names tied to the AI buildout. Watch NVDA, MSFT, QQQ, and SOXX for continuation above prior-day highs; failed breakouts back through VWAP would be the first sign the machines need a nap. Bloomberg TheStreet

• Oil pops off six-week lows as Gulf tensions keep crude bid: WTI and Brent are bouncing roughly 1–2% after last week’s slide as Middle East/Gulf peace efforts remain stalled. Crude traders should watch whether CL reclaims last week’s broken support; acceptance back above it favors longs with stops under the reclaimed zone, while rejection keeps the recent lows in play. Energy bulls want XLE confirmation; airline and trucking shorts want crude making higher highs like it just discovered ambition. Yahoo Finance Reuters

• Jobs week arrives with stocks at records and inflation still sticky: Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report is expected to show modest job growth with unemployment around 4.3%, while April PCE inflation remains firm enough to keep rate-cut enthusiasm on a leash. For ES/NQ, this creates a “blow-off or base” setup: premium sellers need tight realized volatility and defined ranges; directional traders should respect any yield spike that pressures high-multiple growth. CNBC Reuters Reuters

• Cash still pays near 4%, keeping pressure on long-duration growth if yields rise: Top CD rates remain near 4% APY, which is great for savers and mildly annoying for every “valuation doesn’t matter” pitch deck. If yields firm, watch QQQ versus equal-weight/value ratios for exhaustion; covered calls or call spreads above recent highs can help long tech traders harvest time decay while the market decides whether it’s euphoric or just over-caffeinated. Yahoo Finance

• June breakout screens flag fresh momentum candidates: New-month scans are surfacing U.S.-listed stocks pushing through resistance on strong price/volume action. The playbook is simple: opening-range breaks with volume and higher lows for longs; failed gap-ups that lose VWAP and the breakout level become short candidates back into the prior range. Small and mid-cap names require smaller size, tighter execution standards, and a healthy distrust of wide option spreads pretending to be liquidity. Yahoo Finance

Earnings We’re Watching

• Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) - Monday (BMO) 

• Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) - Monday (AMC) 

Trade Ideas

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Daily Moment of Zen

Why It Matters:

Buffett was talking about reputation, but traders should hear this as a warning label slapped directly across their brokerage account.

A trader can spend years building discipline, patience, confidence, and a respectable equity curve…then torch the whole thing in one glorious five-minute episode of revenge trading because one candle had the audacity to disrespect their feelings.

Markets are very efficient at one thing: exposing who you become under pressure. Anyone can look disciplined while the trade is working. That’s easy. That’s the market equivalent of being generous with someone else’s money. The real test comes when the setup fails, the stop is near, and your brain starts pitching a TED Talk called “Why This Time Is Different.”

Reputation in trading is built privately. It’s built when you take the stop. When you size correctly. When you skip the low-quality setup. When you don’t double down just because your ego wants a rematch with the Nasdaq.

And yes, one bad decision can do real damage. Not because one loss matters, but because one undisciplined loss can become a pattern if you reward it with excuses.

Protect your capital. Protect your process. Protect your reputation with yourself. Because once you lose trust in your own discipline, rebuilding it is a lot harder than clicking “buy” and pretending confidence is a risk-management strategy.