Stock Futures Down as Tech Sell-Off Weighs on Sentiment
US equity futures were tracking in the red on Tuesday amid a broader tech sell-off despite signs of easing tensions between the US and Iran.The S&P 500 declined 1.4%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 0.7% and the Nasdaq dropped 2.3% in premarket activity. The indexes finished the previous trading session mixed, with the Nasdaq closing the day down 1.3%.Shares of several major technology companies, including Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN) and Meta Platforms (META), were down pre-bell, after closing the previous session in the red. SpaceX (SPCX) fell 3.7% following a 16% fall at the end of the previous session.Super Micro Computer (SMCI) fell about 5%, reversing a 16% gain on Monday.The sell-off is driven by concerns over AI valuations, with South Korean memory chipmakers SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics also falling sharply, CNBC reported."Clearly this will cause selling pressure and white knuckles for tech stocks in the US this morning as investors worry the overheated (Korea Composite Stock Price Index) sell-off has a spillover impact to US tech stocks," Wedbush Securities said in a Tuesday client note.Treasury yields declined in premarket action, with the two-year rate retreating 4.2 basis points to 4.19% and the 10-year rate sliding 2.2 basis points to 4.49%.The US Treasury on Monday issued a broad 60-day exemption allowing Iran to produce and sell crude oil, petrochemical and petroleum products in US dollars, effectively easing key sanctions restrictions, CNBC reported.West Texas Intermediate crude oil slipped 0.5% to $73.49 a barrel before the opening bell, while Brent decreased 0.7% to $77.38.US Vice President JD Vance reportedly said Monday that Iran agreed to admit International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors into the country. On the status of the Strait of Hormuz, Vance said the crucial waterway is open, and negotiations with Iran are focused on setting up a "coordination mechanism" for demining and resuming trade, CNN reported.Tuesday's economic calendar has the S&P Global's (SPGI) flash purchasing managers' index for June at 9:45 am ET, followed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond manufacturing index for the same month at 10 am.Parcel delivery giant FedEx (FDX) is scheduled to report its latest financial results after the markets close, along with KB Home (KBH). Carnival (CCL) and Korn Ferry (KFY) post earnings before the bell, among others.Gold fell 1.4% to $4,145 per troy ounce, while bitcoin dropped 3.1% to $62,354.
