United States stock futures edged lower on Monday night (Tuesday AEST), retreating from record highs after all three major benchmark indices finished the regular trading session at fresh all-time closing highs.
By 9:30 am AEST (11:30 pm GMT), futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 were each down 0.2%, while Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.4%.
In after-hours trading, Hewlett Packard Enterprise surged 29% after delivering results that significantly exceeded market expectations.
The company reported earnings per share of $0.79, ahead of consensus forecasts of $0.53, while revenue rose to $10.68 billion compared with expectations of $9.78 billion.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise also lifted its full-year earnings outlook and exceeded analyst estimates across key metrics.
The result represented the company's largest earnings beat since February 2018.
Microchip Technology also posted strong gains, rising 10.4% after reporting earnings per share of $0.57, above analyst forecasts of $0.50. Revenue came in at $1.31 billion, surpassing expectations of $1.26 billion.
The semiconductor manufacturer also provided new details on its data centre solutions business, which generated $302.7 million in revenue during the 2025 calendar year.
The pullback followed another strong session for Wall Street, driven largely by gains in technology stocks after Nvidia unveiled a new artificial intelligence (AI) chip designed for personal computers.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.3% and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.4%. All three indices reached new intraday records and closed at all-time highs.
Markets were also monitoring developments in the Middle East after oil prices rose sharply on reports that Iran had suspended indirect communications with the United States.
Market participants also monitored developments in the Middle East, as Iranian state-affiliated news outlet Tasnim reported that Tehran's negotiators would stop exchanging messages with Washington through intermediaries and move to fully block the Strait of Hormuz.
The news helped lift crude prices. Investors remain concerned that any disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could affect global energy supplies and reignite inflationary pressures.
Responding to reports that negotiations could collapse, U.S. President Donald Trump told CNBC that he “couldn’t care less” if peace talks with Iran were over.
Later in the day, however, Trump struck a more optimistic tone. In a Truth Social post, he said he had “a very productive call” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a separate post, he added that talks with Iran were “continuing, at a rapid pace.”
Investors are now turning their attention to a busy session of corporate earnings and economic data.
Dollar General, Victoria's Secret and Signet Jewelers are scheduled to report earnings before Tuesday's opening bell, providing further insight into consumer spending trends.
Market participants will also closely monitor the release of April's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), which could offer fresh clues about the strength of the U.S. labour market and the outlook for Federal Reserve policy.
