U.S. equity futures presented a mixed picture early Tuesday, as market participants prepared for a wave of corporate earnings reports from major financial institutions like JPMorgan Chase and healthcare giant UnitedHealth.
Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on June 26, 2026.
NYSE
Futures tracking the broad S&P 500 edged down by approximately 0.2%, while Nasdaq-100 futures shed 0.7%. Conversely, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures registered a gain of 122 points, or 0.2%.
Across Asia, South Korea's benchmark Kospi plummeted over 6%, breaching the 6,000 mark to its lowest point since July 31. The smaller-cap Kosdaq also saw a significant drop of 3.25%. Japan's Nikkei 225 decreased by 2.22%, with the Topix remaining flat. Meanwhile, Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 managed a slight uptick.
Major banking institutions including JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo are scheduled to unveil their quarterly results before the market opens on Tuesday. Dow component UnitedHealth is also set to report.
These initial reports are poised to establish the tone for an earnings season marked by high expectations. Analysts, on average, project S&P 500 profits to have surged by nearly 30% compared to the same period last year, according to FactSet data.
Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise, highlighted crucial sectors for investors this season: "Three groups will likely shape how investors read the season: 1) Banks (consumer and business health), 2) Big Tech (AI monetization), and 3) Energy (the durability of oil-driven profits). Underneath these areas, the health of consumers and businesses amid higher interest rates, elevated costs, and concerns about the macroeconomic environment will be closely monitored across sectors throughout the season."
Investors will also be closely scrutinizing existing home sales data released on Tuesday, alongside remarks from Federal Reserve officials Christopher Waller, Tom Barkin, and Susan Collins.
Later in the week, the release of September inflation data is anticipated to potentially impact Treasury yields, which have recently touched multi-decade highs. The U.S. bond market observed a holiday on Monday for Indigenous Peoples' Day.
Monday's session on Wall Street concluded with mixed results. The Dow ended the day more than 195 points higher, while declines in memory stock sectors led the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 into negative territory.
BP flags impairment charges of up to $4.5 billion
A customer fills up a vehicle with fuel at a BP Plc petrol station in London, UK, on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Oil major BP announced Tuesday that its third-quarter results would include post-tax adjusting items for impairment charges, estimated to be between $3 billion and $4.5 billion.
The company stated: "These charges are primarily attributable to transition businesses in the gas & low carbon energy segment and are excluded from underlying replacement cost profit."
BP's full third-quarter earnings are slated for publication on Oct. 30.
— Chloe Taylor
Euro rebounds in early trading
The euro gained ground against the U.S. dollar and the British pound during early Tuesday morning trading.
By 2:25 a.m. ET, the common currency had climbed 0.2% against the greenback, recovering from losses incurred the previous day.
In a Monday analysis, ING analysts suggested that French fiscal concerns might continue to weigh on the euro into the new year, forecasting the EUR/USD pair to trade within a 1.10 to 1.15 range over the coming months.
The euro was last observed trading around $1.1172.
— Chloe Taylor
Korea Exchange activates Kospi sell-side sidecar, halting trading briefly as stocks sink
The Korea Exchange implemented a sell-side sidecar on the Kospi, leading to a temporary halt in program trading amidst a sharp decline in South Korean stocks.
A sell-side sidecar mechanism is triggered when the Kospi 200 futures index drops by 5% or more for at least one minute, resulting in a five-minute suspension of trading.
—Justina Lee
Asian tech stocks track decline in Wall Street peers
Asian technology shares experienced a downturn on Tuesday, mirroring the slump in their U.S. counterparts, as investors anticipated the release of critical U.S. inflation data later this week.
In Japan, SoftBank Group plunged 6.7%, while chip equipment manufacturer Tokyo Electron saw a drop of over 5%. Advantest fell by 6.1%, and Japanese memory chipmaker Kioxia declined 8.8%.
South Korean tech stocks were also hit, with SK Hynix down 6.5%, Samsung Electronics slipping 5.6%, and Seoul Semiconductor declining 3.1%.
—Justina Lee
South Korea's Kospi drops over 3%, Japan's Nikkei 225 falls 1%
Markets across the Asia-Pacific region traded lower in early Tuesday sessions.
Japan's Nikkei 225 declined by 1.20%, while the Topix remained stable.
The Kospi in South Korea opened with a 3.29% drop, and the small-cap Kosdaq fell 2.49%.
Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.33%.
—Justina Lee
Japan's Nikkei 225 set to open lower as higher oil prices pressure markets
Asia-Pacific markets were poised for a lower opening on Tuesday, driven by concerns over escalating oil prices.
Japan's Nikkei 225 was anticipated to decline as trading resumed after a holiday, with its Chicago futures contract at 68,320 and its Osaka counterpart trading at 68,380, compared to the index's previous close of 69,030.92 on Friday.
Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were last recorded at 24,228, against the index's previous close of 24,271.20.
Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was 0.13% lower in early trading.
Renewed worries about oil supply disruptions pushed Brent crude past $106 per barrel, following a deadly attack at a Saudi Airport last Saturday that resulted in 12 fatalities and over 300 injuries.
—Justina Lee
Big banks set to report. What to expect
Major banks JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo are scheduled to release their earnings reports on Tuesday before the market open. Here's a summary of analyst expectations:
- JPM: JPMorgan Chase is projected to report double-digit earnings growth year-over-year, according to LSEG data.
- GS: Goldman Sachs' top and bottom lines are forecast to have grown by 10% and approximately 6%, respectively, per LSEG.
- C: Analysts anticipate Citigroup to announce substantial year-on-year earnings growth, LSEG data indicates.
- WFC: Wells Fargo is expected to post earnings growth exceeding 10%, as per LSEG.
For deeper insights, consult CNBC Pro's Earnings Playbook.
— Fred Imbert
Nick Botwood, head of research & development at Syndax, commented: "The MAXPIRe trial did not meet its primary endpoint, and we are disappointed by this outcome given the promising scientific rationale in IPF."
Should these after-hours losses persist through Tuesday's close, it would mark the stock's most significant single-day decline since May 6, 2025, when it fell 22%.
