(For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock

markets, click or type LIVE/ in a news window.)

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Lilly up on launching higher dose vials of Zepbound at

discount

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Zoom Communications ( ZM ) slips on bleak revenue outlook

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Conference Board consumer confidence data due at 10 a.m.

ET

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Futures: Dow up 0.22%, S&P 500 up 0.08%, Nasdaq flat

(Updates before markets open)

By Johann M Cherian and Sukriti Gupta

Feb 25 (Reuters) -

Stock futures indicated a subdued opening for Wall Street on

Tuesday as markets braced for the potential impact of more

stringent U.S. trade controls on Beijing and awaited quarterly

earnings from AI-chip leader Nvidia ( NVDA ).

Investors focused on a

report that

said the U.S. was planning further restrictions on Nvidia's ( NVDA )

chip exports to China and that Washington was consulting with

allies including Japan and the Netherlands about tightening chip

controls on China.

Nvidia ( NVDA ) teetered between minor gains and losses

in premarket trading and was last up 0.6%. Other semiconductor

stocks were mixed, with Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) flat,

Broadcom ( AVGO ) up 0.5%, and chip-gear maker Lam Research ( LRCX )

down 0.6%.

Phil Blancato, chief executive officer of Ladenburg

Thalmann Asset Management, said the report was "adding to this

matrix of new worries that haven't been in the market before

this and if Nvidia ( NVDA ) can't put up another gigantic number just to

sustain its current price, the market is ripe for a selloff".

Nvidia's ( NVDA ) results on Wednesday will be crucial for technology

companies as investors question the industry's hefty

artificial-intelligence spends after low-cost competition from

China's DeepSeek rattled markets in January. The S&P 500

technology sector is on track for its first quarterly

decline since July 2023, if losses hold.

Megacaps were also mixed. Apple ( AAPL ) inched up 0.1%,

while Alphabet edged down 0.5%.

At 08:40 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 96

points, or 0.22%, S&P 500 E-minis were up 5 points, or

0.08%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 0.5 points, or

flat.

Further tempering risk-taking, U.S. President Donald

Trump said late on Monday that tariffs on Canadian and Mexican

imports were "on time and on schedule" ahead of the March 4

deadline.

The U.S. and China are already in a trade war and Trump

signed an order last week restricting Chinese investments in

strategic areas.

Along with the potential global impact of these levies,

investors are faced with signs the domestic economy is stalling

and that the U.S. Federal Reserve will be cautious about cutting

interest rates further.

Interest-rate futures currently point to a cut of 25 basis

points in July and traders are pricing in another reduction

before the end of the year, according to data compiled by LSEG.

The Conference Board's gauge of consumer confidence is due

at 10 a.m. ET, days after the University of Michigan's index

showed consumer sentiment is deteriorating.

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said late on Monday

that the Fed needs more clarity on the total economic impact of

the Trump administration's new policies before it can act.

Policymaker Thomas Barkin and Fed Vice Chair for Supervision

Michael Barr are expected to speak through the day.

Crypto stocks fell, with Coinbase down 3.7% and

MicroStrategy ( MSTR ) down 4.7%, tracking bitcoin

prices, which touched a more than three-month low.

Eli Lilly ( LLY ) rose 1.5% after the drugmaker said it has

begun selling higher doses of its weight-loss drug Zepbound in

vials in the U.S., at a discount to the injector-pen versions.

Zoom Communications ( ZM ) lost 3.9% after forecasting

annual revenue below estimates, while U.S.-listed shares of Li

Auto jumped 12.9% after it unveiled its first electric

SUV.