By Pranav Kashyap and Nikhil Sharma
(Reuters) -U.S. stock index futures edged up on Wednesday as investors assessed President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff moves and kept a close watch on negotiations with global trade partners.
At 06:36 a.m., U.S. S&P 500 E-minis were up 9.75 points, or 0.16%, Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 32.5 points, or 0.14%, Dow E-minis were up 81 points, or 0.18%.
Trump said on Tuesday he would impose a 50% tariff on imported copper and soon introduce long-threatened levies on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, a day after he pressured 14 trading partners with fresh tariff letters. He said “a minimum of seven” tariff notices would be released on Wednesday.
“The timing of these copper and pharma tariff threats suggests … the Trump administration is trying to pressure the EU and other trade partners into faster deals by creating uncertainty and risk,” UBS analysts said.
They also cautioned against over-reacting in the near term, given the lack of clarity on what policy will actually stick.
Wall Street’s reaction to the latest tariff developments on Tuesday was relatively muted compared to the sharp sell-off in the previous session that was sparked by the White House’s new tariff threats against major trading partners Japan and South Korea.
With the deadline for tariffs now moved to August 1, investors are pinning their hopes on negotiations to stave off an all-out trade war.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union is working closely with the Trump administration to reach a trade deal, but Brussels is getting ready for all scenarios.
Last week, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed at record highs following a surprisingly strong jobs report that pointed to resilience in the labor market. Now, investors are looking ahead to Thursday’s initial jobless claims figures for further insights into the labor market.
Traders will also parse through the minutes from the Federal Reserve’s June meeting, due at 2:00 p.m. ET, for any hints about when policymakers might resume easing rates.
While a July rate reduction is almost fully ruled out, the odds of a September cut stand at about 63%, according to CME Group’s FedWatch tool.
Amid Trump’s chaotic tariff policies, the Fed has refrained from cutting interest rates, wary of how trade uncertainty may impact growth and inflation.
Among stocks, AES Corp rose 15.4% in premarket trading after Bloomberg reported that the power provider was exploring options, including a sale.
Health insurer UnitedHealth Group slipped 1.1% after the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating how the company deployed doctors and nurses to gather diagnoses that increased its Medicare payments.
Shares of U.S. advertising firms Interpublic and Omnicom fell 2.9% and 3.4% respectively, after peer WPP slashed its annual profit guidance.
Second-quarter earnings season, set to take off in mid-July, will be in focus as it follows President Trump’s landmark tax-cut bill, which was signed into law last week.
The legislation includes some business-friendly tax policies but threatens to stoke inflation, making the Fed’s next move harder to predict.
(Reporting by Pranav Kashyap in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
