(Updates with economic data, recent oil price movement, world markets' overview and corporate stock movements.)
US equity futures were higher pre-bell Tuesday as technology-related stocks were on the upswing, highlighted by a Q2 beat-and-raise from Palantir Technologies (PLTR).
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 1.2% higher, S&P 500 futures were up 0.3%, and Nasdaq futures were 1.1% higher.
Palantir shares were up more than 15% in pre-market activity after the company posted Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue that surpassed analysts' estimates, as well as boosting its full-year 2026 revenue outlook.
President Donald Trump said late Monday that Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) had made "too much money" off higher oil prices and told them to "give some of that back to the public," multiple media outlets reported.
SpaceX (SPCX) is expected to report its Q2 earnings after the market closes. Analysts polled by FactSet expect a loss of $0.23 per share on revenue of $6.83 billion.
Oil prices were lower, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude down 2.4% at $81.77 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 3.1% lower at $77.86 per barrel.
The US international trade deficit narrowed to $73.26 billion in June from revised $77.65 billion gap in May, compared with a $73.0 billion gap expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.
June factory orders, due at 10 am ET, are expected to have gained 0.2%, compared with a decline of 1.3% previously. June job openings from the US Department of Labor's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey are expected at 7.454 million, compared with 7.594 million in the prior month.
In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 0.3% higher, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 0.6% lower, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.3% higher. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 was up 0.3%, and Germany's DAX index was 0.8% higher in Europe's early afternoon session.
In equities, Caterpillar (CAT) shares rose 11% after the company's Q2 adjusted profit and revenue beat analysts' consensus. Merck (MRK) stock was up 0.9% after the company posted better-than-expected Q2 results. Broadcom (AVGO) shares were 2.7% higher and Micron Technology (MU) stock was up 4.5% as part of a broader rally in technology stocks.
On the losing side, HSBC (HSBC) shares fell 2% despite the company posting higher basic earnings and revenue for Q2. Prologis (PLD) stock was down 3% after the company said it reached a recommended agreement to acquire Segro in a transaction valuing the target company at about $18.8 billion.