
US stock futures retreated on Wednesday as more big bank earnings rolled in, with investors on watch for fresh inflation data, a potential Supreme Court ruling on US tariffs, and signs of potential US military action on Iran.
Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) slid 0.5%, while those on the S&P 500 (ES=F) fell 0.4%. Meanwhile, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) moved down 0.3%, coming off a pullback in financial stocks that dragged Wall Street indexes off record highs.
Worries rose about US action against Iran, as President Trump ramped up military threats in response to a deadly crackdown on public protests. Oil prices climbed to their highest levels since October after Reuters reported US staff have been told to leave an American airbase in Qatar.
That provided a somber backdrop to quarterly reports from Bank of America (BAC) and Wells Fargo (WFC), which both posted a surge in profit as trading activity powered results. The results were closely watched after JPMorgan Chase (JPM) led off earnings season Tuesday with an underwhelming release.
On the macro front, investors will parse fresh wholesale inflation data when November’s producer price index is released this morning. A mild reading on consumer inflation on Tuesday firmed up bets on the Federal Reserve holding interest rates steady in January. Also due are retail sales figures for November, which could shed more light on how American consumers are holding up.
The prospect of a boost from more Fed rate cuts helped send gold (GC=F) and silver (SI=F) to fresh record highs, with silver briefly breaking above $90 for the first time. The blistering rally in precious metals is also being stoked by rising geopolitical tensions and escalated attacks on the Fed, both with Trump at their center.
Meanwhile, markets are on alert to hear from the Supreme Court, which has yet to rule on a closely watched challenge to Trump’s authority to set tariffs. Wednesday is scheduled as an opinion release day for the court, but it doesn’t say in advance which decisions are on the docket. Trump has framed the case as a national security flashpoint, saying if it rules against him, “WE’RE SCREWED!”
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