US Stock Futures Steady as Walmart's Earnings Outlook Weighs
US stock futures remained largely unchanged after major indexes declined following a weak earnings outlook from retail giant Walmart (WMT). Futures tied to the S&P 500 (ES=F), Nasdaq (NQ=F), and Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) hovered near baseline levels.
President Donald Trump's tariffs have left retailers and consumers uncertain about potential impacts. Walmart's cautionary outlook for 2025 triggered a market downturn on Thursday, with tariff uncertainty cited as a contributing factor. Walmart's CFO indicated that price increases for electronics and general merchandise could be passed on to consumers.
Friday marks a relatively quiet day for economic data, with limited earnings reports scheduled. The release of January's existing home sales will shed light on the housing market, while the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index is also expected.
In individual movements, energy drink company Celsius Holdings (CELH) surged over 35% in after-hours trading after announcing its acquisition of competitor Alani Nutrition for $1.8 billion. Dropbox (DBX), on the other hand, declined by more than 6% as the cloud storage company reported slowed customer growth.
Meta (META) remains in the spotlight after a year of record-setting gains. It was reported Thursday that the tech giant plans to reduce equity awards for most employees, with stock options for social media staff expected to decrease by approximately 10% in 2025.