US stock futures edged higher ahead of earnings barrage; key data also due.
U.S. stock futures edged higher Tuesday, as investors cautiously awaited key economic data releases and first-quarter earnings from megacaps including Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft.
At Dow Jones Futures gained 115 points, or 0.3%, S&P 500 Futures rose 10 points, or 0.2%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures climbed 40 points, or 0.2%.
The major Wall Street indexes saw a choppy session on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 eventually ending slightly higher and the NASDAQ Composite closing fractionally lower, as investors digested the latest comments on tariffs from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
In an interview with CNBC on Monday, Secretary Bessent said many countries
have offered 'very good' tariff proposals to the U.S.
He also stated that all aspects of the U.S. government are in contact with China and that it is up to China to de-escalate the situation. This came after Beijing earlier denied that any talks occurred.
Additionally, the Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. President Trump is tipped to partially ease the effect of his tariffs on autos, blocking duties on cars made overseas from stacking on top of broader levies he has imposed.
Key economic data, earnings loom
Investors are braced for a busy week with a series of U.S. economic data releases, including the Federal Reserve's preferred
inflation gauge - the PCE price index, and the monthly U.S. jobs report.
The U.S. will also report its first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) data this week, while JOLTS job openings for March are due later in the session..
Markets also awaited earnings from the "magnificent seven" megacaps, including Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), this week.
Microsoft and Meta are set to report on Wednesday, while Apple and Amazon are scheduled to report their earnings on Thursday.
This is set to be a very busy earnings week, with about one-third of S&P 500-listed firms slated to post results this week.
Highlighting the slate of results prior to the open on Tuesday are beverage maker Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO), drug company Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), and streaming music service Spotify (NYSE:SPOT). Credit card provider Visa (NYSE:) is also due to report after the bell, as well as coffee house chain Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) and Oreo-maker Mondelez (BMV:MDLZ).
Crude slips lower
Oil prices fell Tuesday as traders continued to fret over the economic outlook, given the ongoing global trade war, as well as scheduled increased supply.
At 05:45 ET, Brent futures dropped 1.3% to $63.97 a barrel, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 1.3% to $61.27 a barrel.
Oil was also pressured by Russia unexpectedly announcing a three-day ceasefire with Ukraine, which could help pave a path towards a bigger agreement.
An OPEC+ meeting is also scheduled for next week, where the cartel is widely expected to increase production for a second consecutive month.
(NaeemJaan contributed to this article.)