08:03 AM EDT, 06/11/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures traded lower in premarket activity Wednesday, even after China and the US hammered out a proposed trade framework to cool down a burgeoning tariff war that has rattled the world economy.
Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq futures were both down 0.2% while S&P 500 futures were trading 0.1% lower before the opening bell.
Investors may be spooked by lingering uncertainty over the trade talks. While both US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and his Chinese counterpart hailed the framework deal as a major step forward, the details must still be reviewed and approved by US President Donald Trump and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping.
Investors are also concerned about the impact of impending May inflation numbers and short-term earnings and sales forecasts by discretionary retail mainstays like Victoria's Secret (VSCO) that fell short of analyst expectations.
Oil prices continued to climb, with the front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 1.2% to $67.68 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 1.5% higher at $65.93 per barrel.
Before the opening bell, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to release the monthly Consumer Price Index, a key measure of inflation, with analysts estimating a 0.3% increase in core May inflation from the previous month.
After the bell, traders will also be looking at the weekly petroleum product price index for signs of whether the economy is slowing down or heating up.