U.S. Futures Rebound Amid Powell Criticism, Tesla and Alphabet Earnings in Focus

U.S. stock index futures edged higher in early Asian trading Tuesday, clawing back some losses after a sharp Wall Street sell-off triggered by former President Donald Trump’s renewed criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Trump’s call for “preemptive” interest rate cuts and his past demands for Powell’s removal raised fresh concerns about the Fed’s independence. Powell’s current term runs until May 2026, and any removal attempt remains uncertain.

S&P 500 Futures rose 0.4% to 5,205.0, Nasdaq 100 Futures gained 0.4% to 17,996.50, and Dow Jones Futures were up 0.3% to 38,455.0 by 21:00 ET (01:00 GMT). The gains come after Monday’s steep declines, where the S&P 500 lost 2.4%, the Nasdaq fell 2.6%, and the Dow dropped 2.5%, amid ongoing uncertainty over Trump’s tariff agenda.

Investors remain cautious ahead of key tech earnings, with Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) set to report this week. Tesla is expected to post a weak quarter due to declining deliveries, limited new models, and political backlash surrounding CEO Elon Musk. Alphabet’s results are anticipated to shed light on artificial intelligence (AI) investment trends.

Skepticism around the AI boom resurfaced after reports that Amazon Web Services paused data center leasing discussions, echoing Microsoft’s earlier move. This uncertainty weighed on AI chip leader Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), which slipped 0.6% in after-hours trading following a 4.5% drop on Monday.

With Trump’s tariff threats and Powell criticism fueling market volatility, investors are watching upcoming earnings closely for direction, especially from tech giants expected to lead future growth narratives.