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Futures down: Dow 0.24%, S&P 500 0.2%, Nasdaq 0.18%
May 28 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures slipped on
Wednesday after a sharp rally in the previous session, when
easing tariff tensions boosted sentiment, as investors focused
on AI bellwether Nvidia's ( NVDA ) upcoming earnings and developments on
the trade front.
Shares of the chipmaker fell 0.2% in premarket
trading ahead of its results, due to be released after markets
close. Nvidia ( NVDA ) is expected to report a 66.2% surge in
first-quarter revenue, according to data compiled by LSEG.
Traders in the options markets are bracing for industry-wide
volatility with defensive options contracts drawing heavy
attention for the VanEck Semiconductor ETF, the largest
semiconductor ETF.
At 05:14 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were down 101 points,
or 0.24%, S&P 500 E-minis were down 12 points, or 0.2%
and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were down 38.25 points, or 0.18%.
Most megacap and growth stocks traded in a flat-to-lower
band after Tuesday's surge, with Amazon.com ( AMZN ) and Meta
Platforms ( META ) down 0.4% each.
All three main Wall Street indexes soared in the last
session, after U.S. President Donald Trump backed down from his
50% tariff threat against the European Union.
The implementation of the tariffs is now delayed until July
9 to allow for negotiations between the White House and the
27-nation bloc.
U.S. equities are set for robust monthly gains, with both
the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq on pace for their best
monthly showing since November 2023, as easing concerns around
global trade, upbeat earnings and tame inflation data boosted
risk appetite.
The S&P 500 is now about 4% off its record closing high
reached on February 19, having plunged as much as 18.9% below
that level in the wake of Trump's erratic tariff announcements
that have whipsawed markets for much of his second term.
Looking ahead, minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve's last
policy meeting - where the central bank held borrowing costs
steady - are slated for release at 2 p.m. ET.
Personal Consumption Expenditure data - the Fed's favored
inflation indicator - for April, as well as a second estimate of
first-quarter GDP, are scheduled to be released later this week.
New York Fed President John Williams said central banks must
"respond relatively strongly" when inflation begins to deviate
from their target, given the high uncertainty around the
economic impact of U.S. tariffs and trade policy.
Yields on long-dated U.S. government bonds were slightly
higher after scaling multi-month highs last week. Those on the
10-year note were up 3.7 basis points to 4.47%.
Global bond markets have been in the spotlight lately over
concerns about fiscal sustainability in major economies
including the United States and Japan.
Cybersecurity firm Okta ( OKTA ) flagged risks related to
the uncertain economic environment but stuck to its full-year
outlook. Its shares dropped 12.3%.
Box Inc ( BOX ) climbed 11.5% after the content cloud firm
raised its annual profit and revenue forecasts.