08:55 AM EDT, 05/21/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures declined ahead of Wednesday's opening bell as investors evaluated earnings from major retailers.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 0.8%, S&P 500 futures dropped 0.6%, and Nasdaq futures were down 0.7%.

Lowe's (LOW) and Target ( TGT ) both posted lower fiscal Q1 earnings and sales, while TJX (TJX) reported lower fiscal Q1 earnings and higher net sales.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 1.2% at $66.17 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 1.4% higher at $62.87 per barrel.

On the economic calendar, the Atlanta Fed Business Inflation Expectations report for May is scheduled for release at 10 am ET, followed by the Energy Information Administration's weekly petroleum status bulletin at 10:30 am.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 0.6% lower, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 0.6% higher, and China's Shanghai Composite advanced 0.2%. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 gained 0.06%, and Germany's DAX index slipped 0.2% in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, shares of Target ( TGT ) and TJX were down 6.2% and 1.3%, respectively, in premarket activity. Wolfspeed ( WOLF ) shares fell 63% following a media report that the company is preparing to file for bankruptcy in the coming weeks after failing to restructure its $6.50 billion debt.

On the winning side, Lowe's shares increased 1.4%. CFSB Bancorp ( CFSB ) shares surged 75% after the company said late Tuesday it has agreed to be acquired by Hometown Financial Group in a deal worth $44 million.