US stock futures dip post weekly Wall St gains; mixed US-China trade signals weigh

Investing.com-- U.S. stock futures edged lower Sunday evening after weekly gains on Wall Street, as mixed signals over U.S.-China trade talks kept investor sentiment cautious, while markets geared up for major earnings reports from tech giants including Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft.

S&P 500 Futures ticked down 0.4% to 5,526.75 points, while Nasdaq 100 Futures fell 0.5% to 19,433.75 points by 20:10 ET (00:10 GMT). Dow Jones Futures also dipped 0.4% at 40,111.0 points.

U.S.-China trade confusion dampens Wall Street momentum

Major Wall Street indexes saw weekly gains on Friday after Alphabet’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) better-than-expected quarterly results stoked fresh optimism on artificial intelligence, extending the recent rally in tech.

The {166|S&P 500}} index closed 0.7% higher Friday, and the NASDAQ Composite jumped 1.3%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed largely unchanged.

Sentiment was also supported after media reports last week showed that China has exempted certain U.S. imports from its retaliatory 125% tariffs.

However, investors turned cautious again as U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday contradicted President Donald Trump’s earlier remarks, saying he was unaware of any ongoing tariff negotiations with China and unsure if Trump had recently spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

This challenged Trump’s statements from last week, where he suggested that discussions were happening and that he had personally engaged with Xi.

The Trump administration has shown signs of wanting to ease tensions in the ongoing trade war, which has already rattled markets and fueled fears of a global recession. 

However, China’s denial that any talks are happening has cast serious doubt on the U.S. narrative.

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These mixed messages are keeping investors on edge as they are caught between hopes for a breakthrough and fears of worsening tensions.

Earnings ahead: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta 

Investors were eyeing earnings from the “magnificent seven” megacaps, including Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), and Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META), this week.

Microsoft and Meta are set to report on Wednesday, while Apple and Amazon are scheduled to report their earnings on Thursday.

These reports are key to gauging corporate resilience amid ongoing tariff tensions and capital expenditure worries around AI.

Earnings from other major sectors, like Visa (NYSE:V), Coca-Cola Co (NYSE:KO), and Caterpillar Inc (NYSE:CAT), were all due this week.

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