US Stock Futures Flat as US-China Talks and Inflation Data Loom

U.S. stock index futures were little changed Monday evening, as investors remained cautious ahead of ongoing U.S.-China trade negotiations in London and key inflation data due midweek. Markets saw limited movement after a quiet Wall Street session, although tech stocks, particularly semiconductor giants Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and AMD (NASDAQ:AMD), posted gains on optimism that improving U.S.-China relations could ease export restrictions.

The cautious tone was further fueled by ongoing protests in Los Angeles against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the deployment of 700 marines to control the unrest, adding to geopolitical unease.

At 19:11 ET, S&P 500 Futures hovered at 6,012.25, Nasdaq 100 Futures were flat at 21,826.50, and Dow Jones Futures held steady at 42,803.00. Trade talks between the U.S. and China, which started Monday, are expected to continue into Tuesday. Investor focus remains on issues such as China’s restrictions on rare earth mineral exports and U.S. curbs on semiconductor shipments to China. Trump expressed optimism, saying he received “only good reports” following last week’s rare phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 inched up 0.1% to 6,005.88, the Nasdaq Composite added 0.3% to 19,591.24, while the Dow Jones remained unchanged at 42,761.76. The Nasdaq was supported by chipmaker AMD, which surged nearly 5% after analysts raised price targets. Meanwhile, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) underperformed following its Worldwide Developers Conference, offering few details on AI plans.

Investors are also bracing for Wednesday’s CPI inflation data, expected to reflect higher consumer prices driven by rising import costs amid tariff tensions. Last week’s upbeat U.S. jobs report has helped sustain market momentum.