U.S. Stock Futures Edge Down Amid Tariff Uncertainty and Mixed Economic Data

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  Posted by John Deo Mar 10 - Filed in General - #financialmodelingprep  - 5 views
  

  U.S. stock futures slid on Monday as investors weighed renewed uncertainty from President Trump’s tariff plans and anticipated key economic data releases later this week. The drop follows a turbulent week on Wall Street driven largely by confusion over Trump’s shifting trade policies.

  Futures Ticking Lower

  By 03:25 ET (07:25 GMT), futures had dipped modestly:

  • Dow futures fell by 156 points (0.4%),
  • S&P 500 futures lost 27 points (0.5%), and
  • Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 118 points (0.6%).

  Despite recording a gain on Friday, the S&P 500 suffered its worst week in half a year, and the Nasdaq Composite has slid over 10% since hitting a record high in December—pushing it into correction territory. Late last week, Trump temporarily delayed the planned 25% tariffs on most goods from Canada and Mexico until April 2, covering items from an earlier trade deal. Yet, his constant stream of threats, announcements, and reversals continues to stir investor anxiety about inflation and economic growth.

  Key Data on the Horizon

  Investors are now eyeing several crucial data points:

  • New York Fed Consumer Expectations Survey: This report will offer insights into how U.S. consumers view the future of inflation, especially amid concerns over Trump's tariffs. January's survey showed steady one-year and three-year inflation expectations at 3%, with the five-year outlook nudging up from 2.7% to 3%.
  • Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS): Both sets of data, due later this week, will be vital in gauging the health of consumer demand and labor market dynamics.

  For real-time updates on upcoming economic releases, investors can track the schedule using Financial Modeling Prep’s Earnings Calendar API.

  Corporate Earnings and Tech Sector Outlook

  Tech earnings are also on the radar:

  • Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) is scheduled to report after the close on Monday. This comes after Trump announced that Oracle, together with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Japan’s SoftBank (TYO:9984), is set to invest $500 billion in U.S. AI infrastructure via the Stargate joint venture.
  • Additional quarterly results from Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) and DocuSign (NASDAQOCU), along with retail updates from Dick’s Sporting Goods (NYSEKS) and Kohl’s (NYSE:KSS), could further influence market sentiment.

  International and Oil Market Updates

  Overseas, Chinese inflation data released over the weekend indicated a persistent deflationary trend. China's consumer price index (CPI) fell by 0.7% year-on-year—worse than the expected 0.4% drop—while month-on-month, it dipped 0.2% versus an anticipated 0.1%. These figures underscore the ongoing weakness in local demand and hint at the possibility of additional stimulus from Beijing as it battles economic headwinds exacerbated by Trump’s tariffs, now at 20% on Chinese imports.

  Meanwhile, oil prices remained muted on Monday. Investors kept a close watch on how Trump’s trade policies might dampen fuel demand and growth, even as plans for rising output from OPEC+ added another layer of complexity to the market.

  For a broader view of sector performance and international trends, check out Financial Modeling Prep’s Industry Classification API.

  Looking Ahead

  With mixed signals from domestic policy and global economic data, investor sentiment remains cautious. The interplay between tariff uncertainty, inflation expectations, and upcoming earnings and economic reports will likely set the tone for the near-term market trajectory.

  Staying informed through reliable, real-time data sources is essential, as market dynamics continue to evolve amidst these challenging conditions.