07:05 AM EDT, 10/15/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The main US stock measures were pointing higher in Wednesday's premarket activity as traders digest the latest trade tensions between the US and China, and await more big bank and corporate earnings.

The S&P 500 rose 0.6%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased 0.4% and the Nasdaq added 0.8% before the opening bell. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed Tuesday in the red, while the Dow finished higher for the second consecutive trading session.

In social media post on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said the US is considering terminating its business with China on cooking oil and "other elements of trade" as "retribution" for the Asian country "purposefully" not buying American soybeans. Trump claimed that China's move was an "economically hostile act."

Trump's latest threat against China signals a flare-up between the world's two biggest economies. He previously warned that the US could impose additional tariffs of 100% on China, depending on how Beijing handles a dispute around rare earths. China reportedly placed sanctions on five of shipbuilding firm Hanwha Ocean's US subsidiaries on Tuesday.

US Treasury yields were down before the open, with the two-year rate retreating 0.5 basis point to 3.47% and the 10-year rate losing 1.3 basis points to 4.01%.

Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said in a speech Tuesday that downside risks to employment seem to have increased in a "somewhat softer" labor market. "While official employment data for September are delayed, available evidence suggests that both layoffs and hiring remain low," according to Powell.

The federal government shutdown entered into its second week on Wednesday, a day after the Senate voted for the eighth time to reject the Republicans' government short-term funding proposal, according to several media outlets.

Bank of America ( BAC ) , Morgan Stanley ( MS ) , Abbott Laboratories ( ABT ) , Progressive (PGR), Prologis ( PLD ) , PNC Financial Services ( PNC ) and Citizens Financial (CFG) are scheduled to report their latest financial results before the bell, among others. United Airlines (UAL) posts earnings after the markets close.

ASML's (ASML) US-listed shares advanced 4.3% pre-bell after the Dutch chip equipment maker reported its fiscal third-quarter results earlier on Wednesday. Stellantis ( STLA ) inclined 0.8% as the automaker said it plans to invest $13 billion in the US over the next four years.

The weekly mortgage applications bulletin is out at 7 am ET, followed by the Empire State manufacturing index for October at 8:30 am. The Fed's Beige Book, a compilation of economic and business reports from the 12 regional Fed branches, is due at 2 pm.

Fed Governor Stephen Miran is scheduled to speak at 9:30 am and later at 12:30 pm, followed by Governor Christopher Waller at 1 pm. Remarks from Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic and Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid are slated for 12:10 pm and 1:35 pm, respectively.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil was little changed at $58.70 a barrel in premarket action. The International Energy Agency kept its forecasts for global oil demand growth unchanged on Tuesday, saying that petroleum consumption is expected to remain subdued.

Gold rose 1.3% to $4,217 per troy ounce, while bitcoin dipped 0.4% to $112,407.