United States stock futures were trading in mixed territory on Tuesday night (Wednesday AEST) as investors assessed a fresh round of corporate earnings, a batch of economic data, and anticipated the Federal Reserve’s upcoming interest rate decision.
By 9:10 am AEST (11:10 pm GMT), futures tied to the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100 each traded within a range of ±0.1%.
In extended deals, Starbucks added 4.1% after reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $0.50 versus $0.65 expected, while revenue exceeded expectations, coming in at $9.46 billion versus $9.29 billion expected.
Visa dropped 2.3% despite beating earnings and revenue estimates for the quarter. The payments giant reported adjusted EPS $2.98 on $10.17 billion in revenue, ahead of forecasts for $2.85 and $9.85 billion, respectively.
Mondelez International fell 3.9% even as second-quarter results beat Wall Street estimates. The company also maintained its full-year outlook.
LendingClub soared 23.6% after posting EPS $0.33 on $248.44 million in revenue, surpassing estimates of $0.15 and $227.35 million.
The after-hours trading followed a negative session on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 slipped 0.3%, ending a six-session streak of all-time closing highs. The Dow fell 0.5% and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.4%.
On the economic front, the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index rose to 97.2 in July from a revised 95.2 in June, suggesting a modest improvement in sentiment.
However, signs of labour market softening emerged. Job openings fell by 275,000 to 7.437 million in June, according to the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey JOLTS report, missing forecasts of 7.55 million.
The decline was led by the accommodation and food services sector, indicating continued pressure in lower-wage hiring.
Looking ahead to Wednesday’s session, all eyes are on the Federal Reserve. Futures markets imply a 96.9% probability that the central bank will keep its benchmark interest rate steady at 4.25% to 4.5%, according to the CME Group FedWatch Tool.
Following the policy decision, investors will closely monitor Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference for clues about the direction of monetary policy — particularly amid public pressure from President Trump and allies pushing for lower borrowing costs.
Before that, key economic data, including private payroll figures, second-quarter GDP, and pending home sales, will be released.
Markets will also continue to digest earnings from companies such as Etsy, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Ford, and Robinhood.
