US futures largely gained on Tuesday ahead of the market open as investors digested a strong start to the month for US equities and prepared for a heavy slate of corporate earnings.
Market sentiment was shaped by upbeat results from select technology names, volatility in commodities and crypto, and renewed focus on returns from artificial intelligence investment.
S&P 500 futures rose about 0.1%, while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.31%.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones slipped 40 points, or less than 0.1%, following Monday’s broad rally.
Earnings drive early market moves
Individual stocks were active in premarket trading after several high-profile earnings updates.
Shares of Palantir Technologies jumped about 11% after the defense-focused data analytics firm reported strong fourth-quarter results and issued upbeat guidance.
Robotics and chip-testing equipment maker Teradyne surged more than 20% after forecasting first-quarter revenue and profit above expectations, citing demand linked to large-scale data-center spending.
In Monday’s regular session, US stock indexes advanced across the board.
The Dow climbed roughly 515 points, or 1.05%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.5%.
The Nasdaq Composite rose nearly 0.6%, supported by strength in AI infrastructure-related stocks such as Sandisk, Western Digital, and Seagate.
By contrast, Nvidia fell nearly 3% after a Wall Street Journal report said its plans to invest in OpenAI had stalled.
Investors are now looking ahead to earnings from more than 100 S&P 500 companies this week.
Advanced Micro Devices and Pfizer are among those due to report on Tuesday, while Amazon and Alphabet are scheduled later in the week.
Commodities and crypto remain volatile
In digital assets, Bitcoin slid to its lowest level since April, highlighting waning risk appetite.
Precious metals also remained volatile after a sharp selloff late last week.
While gold and silver futures settled lower on Monday, both rebounded strongly in early Tuesday trading.
Spot gold was last seen about 5.52% higher at $4,917.17 an ounce, while spot silver jumped roughly 9.5% to $86.83.
Stocks and funds linked to silver posted sharp premarket gains, reflecting renewed retail and speculative interest following recent turbulence.
Corporate outlooks and macro uncertainty
Among companies reporting before the opening bell, Merck slipped around 1% in premarket trading after issuing a cautious 2026 outlook, citing upcoming patent expirations and competition from generics.
The company forecast annual revenue of $65.5 billion to $67 billion, below analysts’ expectations.
PepsiCo reported quarterly earnings and revenue that beat forecasts, though its shares dipped about 1% as volumes declined.
“PepsiCo’s fourth quarter results reflected a sequential acceleration in reported and organic revenue growth, with improvements in both the North America and International businesses,” CEO Ramon Laguarta said.
Beyond earnings, investors are also navigating macro uncertainty.
A partial US government shutdown has delayed key economic data, including the January employment report and the JOLTS release.
President Donald Trump said Congress was nearing a resolution, but the disruptions have added another layer of uncertainty as markets assess growth, inflation, and the payoff from rising AI-related capital spending.
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