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Futures down: Dow 0.18%, S&P 500 0.11%, Nasdaq 0.1%

Oct 21 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures edged lower

on Tuesday, following Wall Street's strong rally in the previous

session, as investors prepared for a deluge of quarterly results

from major corporations.

All the three major indexes had closed with gains of more

than 1% on Monday, marking their best day in more than a week,

as upbeat earnings expectations and easing concerns over

regional bank credit quality boosted risk appetite.

Markets are now expected to face a fresh litmus test with

heavyweights, including Tesla, IBM ( IBM ), Procter & Gamble ( PG )

, Coca-Cola, Intel ( INTC ) and Ford, set to

report this week.

Shares of General Motors ( GM ), set to report its

financials before market open, slipped 2.1% in premarket

trading. 3M ( MMM ) was up 1.1% ahead of its results. Netflix ( NFLX )

, scheduled to report after markets close, also edged

higher.

At 05:20 a.m., Dow E-minis were down 83 points, or

0.18%, S&P 500 E-minis were down 7.25 points, or 0.11%,

and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 24.25 points, or 0.1%.

Futures tied to the small-cap Russell 2000 also

edged lower, after the index jumped nearly 2% in the

previous session.

Mega-cap stocks were a mixed bag. Apple ( AAPL ) eased 0.2%

after hitting a record high on Monday. Meta gained

0.3%, while Alphabet slipped 0.4%.

Regional bank earnings are also in focus to get a closer

read on the sector's health after fears of systemic stress

sparked a selloff last week.

But with valuations stretched and markets hovering near

record highs, analysts say that earnings beats alone may not be

enough to sustain the rally. Investors will be watching margin

resilience and forward guidance, especially amid persistent

trade tensions and lingering inflation concerns.

Uncertainty surrounding the U.S. government shutdown is also

dampening sentiment as delays in key economic data releases

obscure market visibility. However, White House economic adviser

Kevin Hassett said on Monday the shutdown was likely to end this

week.

U.S. President Donald Trump also struck a hopeful tone on

trade, saying he expects to reach a "fair deal" with Chinese

President Xi Jinping, while downplaying tensions over Taiwan.

Investors are now eyeing Trump's upcoming meeting with Xi on

the sidelines of next week's economic summit in South Korea.

Among other stocks, Fluor jumped 6.8% in premarket

trading, after reports said activist investor Starboard Value

has taken a nearly 5% stake in the construction firm.