U.S. Stock Futures Hold Steady Amid AI Concerns and Government Shutdown Uncertainty

U.S. stock index futures traded flat Tuesday evening following a downbeat Wall Street session as investors reassessed the artificial intelligence (AI) rally and monitored ongoing political gridlock in Washington. Markets remained tense amid a persistent government shutdown, with Congress making little headway toward approving a spending bill despite President Donald Trump’s mediation efforts.

As of 19:20 ET (23:20 GMT), S&P 500 Futures hovered at 6,762.50 points, Nasdaq 100 Futures were unchanged at 25,047.0, and Dow Jones Futures steadied at 46,852.0.

Tuesday’s losses came largely from weakness in technology and AI-linked stocks. Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) dropped 2.4% during the session and another 0.5% after hours following a report from The Information suggesting thin margins in its chip rental business. The revelation raised doubts about Oracle’s AI expansion strategy. The news triggered a broader tech selloff, with NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) slipping 0.3% and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) down 1.8%. However, Nvidia later steadied after Bloomberg reported it plans to invest up to $2 billion in Elon Musk’s xAI, a move expected to deepen its dominance in the AI chip market.

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) also weighed on sentiment, plunging nearly 5% after unveiling new low-cost versions of its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. Analysts viewed the pricing as insufficient to significantly revive slowing EV sales.

Despite the pullback, analysts note tech stocks are still supported by optimism surrounding AI innovation, following a strong rally that pushed Wall Street to record highs last week.

Looking ahead, attention turns to key Federal Reserve speeches and the release of September meeting minutes. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan speaks Wednesday, followed by Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday. Markets expect a 25-basis-point rate cut in October, driven by signs of a cooling labor market, though economic clarity remains limited as the shutdown delays critical data releases.