Stock Index Futures Plunge as China Retaliates in U.S. Trade War, Powell’s Speech and Big Bank Earnings Awaited

Economic Policy and Market Sentiment - Philadelphia Fed President Anna Paulson supports two additional quarter-point rate cuts this year, emphasizing that current labor market conditions do not indicate sustained inflation despite tariff-driven price increases [1] - Investors remain optimistic, with a belief that retail investors are resilient and that the strategy of buying the dip continues to be effective [2] Stock Market Performance - Wall Street's main stock indexes ended positively, with notable gains from Tesla (+5%) and Alphabet (+3%), while Broadcom surged over +9% following a partnership with OpenAI [3] - Bloom Energy experienced a significant jump of over +26% after Brookfield Asset Management announced a $5 billion investment [3] - Fastenal was the top loser, declining over -7% after reporting weaker-than-expected Q3 EPS [3] Upcoming Events and Earnings Reports - Investors are awaiting a speech from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and earnings reports from major U.S. banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup [4][7][8] - The S&P 500 companies are projected to see an average earnings increase of +7.2% for Q3, marking the smallest rise in two years [7] International Trade and Relations - China imposed sanctions on U.S. units of Hanwha Ocean, raising concerns about a potential escalation in the U.S.-China trade war [5] - The U.S. rate futures indicate a 97.8% probability of a 25 basis point rate cut at the upcoming Fed meeting, reflecting market sentiment influenced by international trade tensions [6] Global Market Reactions - The Euro Stoxx 50 Index fell -0.59% amid renewed U.S.-China trade tensions, with mining and automobile stocks lagging [11] - Japan's Nikkei 225 Index experienced a significant drop due to political instability and trade tensions, marking its largest single-day decline since April [16] Pre-Market Movements - Chip stocks, including Micron Technology and Marvell Technology, are down in pre-market trading due to heightened trade tensions with China [18] - Cryptocurrency-exposed stocks are also declining, with Bitcoin prices down over -4% [19] - PotlatchDeltic's stock rose over +5% following a merger agreement with Rayonier valued at approximately $8.2 billion [20]