U.S. Stock Futures Dip Amid Trade Tensions and Big Tech Earnings Awaited

U.S. stock futures slipped Sunday evening following weekly gains on Wall Street, as mixed signals over U.S.-China trade talks kept investors cautious ahead of major tech earnings. By 20:10 ET (00:10 GMT), S&P 500 futures were down 0.4% at 5,526.75 points, Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.5% to 19,433.75 points, and Dow Jones futures dipped 0.4% to 40,111.0 points.

Wall Street indexes ended last week higher, with the S&P 500 up 0.7% and the NASDAQ Composite gaining 1.3%, fueled by Alphabet’s strong earnings and optimism surrounding artificial intelligence. Sentiment was also briefly boosted by reports that China exempted certain U.S. goods from its new tariffs.

However, confusion resurfaced after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated on Sunday he was unaware of any current tariff negotiations with China, contradicting President Donald Trump’s earlier claims of direct talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. China’s denial of ongoing discussions further clouded hopes of easing trade tensions, keeping market sentiment fragile.

Investors are now shifting focus to a critical week of earnings from tech giants including Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), and Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META). Microsoft and Meta are set to report Wednesday, with Apple and Amazon following on Thursday. These results are expected to shed light on corporate resilience amid tariff concerns and escalating AI investment.

Other key earnings this week include Visa (NYSE:V), Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO), and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT), providing broader insight into U.S. economic health. Amid trade uncertainty and economic concerns, investors are treading carefully while awaiting signals from both corporate earnings and U.S.-China developments.