Investing.com — U.S. stock futures traded largely unchanged Tuesday, pointing to a potentially cautious open as investors digest more corporate earnings ahead of delayed U.S. jobs and inflation data.
At 05:45 ET (10:45 GMT), the traded 35 points, or 0.1%, higher, S&P 500 Futures gained 5 points, or 0.1%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures traded largely unchanged.
The main averages on Wall Street gained on Monday, extending increases notched to end the previous trading week, thanks largely to advances in tech stocks exposed to the artificial intelligence-driven boom in data centers. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average recorded a new record closing high, extending a recent run that saw the index break the 50,000 level the prior week.
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Coca-Cola earnings on tap
Attention is firmly on the quarterly earnings season, with results due from the likes of , and during the session.
The fourth-quarter 2025 US earnings season is in full swing, and while overall trends are positive, the market is becoming more discerning. It is actively rewarding companies that deliver solid results while punishing those with poor performance or weak future guidance.
In extended hours movers, unveiled underwhelming fourth-quarter revenue due to an ongoing inventory glut. Many of the Arizona-based firm’s customers are continuing to work their way through stockpiles of chips built during recent supply chain constraints.
Sluggish electric car sales and increased competition from China have also threatened to cloud the forecast for Onsemi’s silicon carbide chips unit. The group’s current-quarter sales projection range was below Wall Street estimates at the midpoint.
Retail sales due ahead of payrolls, CPI
On the macroeconomic front, investors are focused on U.S. labor market and inflation data that were postponed following a recent government shutdown.
The closely watched monthly is now due on Wednesday, while the January report has been rescheduled for release on Friday.
Both reports are expected to play a key role in shaping expectations for the Federal Reserve’s policy path, particularly around the timing and pace of any interest rate cuts later this year.
Signs of cooling inflation or a softer labor market could reinforce hopes for easier monetary policy later in 2026.
Ahead of this, for December are due later in the session, with consumer spending seen ass a crucial engine of the overall American economy, amounting to more than two-thirds of total output.
“The retail sales control group is expected to grow at a reasonably healthy 0.4% month-on-month and can maintain the view that the U.S. consumer is alive and well,” said analysts at ING, in a note. “This thesis can extend throughout March once what should be a healthy set of tax rebate checks arrives towards the end of this month.”
slips slightly
Gold prices fell on Tuesday, retreating from strong gains in the prior session as metal markets remained on edge before a string of key U.S. economic readings due this week.
and platinum prices also fell, having taken limited support from an overnight drop in the dollar, although the greenback steadied in Asian trade.
Oil prices steadied Tuesday while relations between the U.S. and Iran remained fraught, keeping risks of supply disruptions from the Middle East elevated.
Brent futures gained 0.1% to $69.12 a barrel, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 0.1% to $64.33 a barrel.
The benchmarks rose more than 1% on Monday after the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration advised U.S.-flagged vessels to stay as far away from Iranian territory as possible when passing through the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman.
Ayushman Ojha contributed to this article