Stock Futures Flat as Fed Rhetoric Looms

Following yesterday's pivot into the red, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI), S&P 500 Index (SPX), and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) are struggling for direction this morning. Investors are gearing up for the conclusion of the Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting, and while CME Group's FedWatch tool shows a 98% chance the central bank keeps interest rates steady, investors are keen for any hints about monetary policy for Septembers meeting and beyond.

Wall Street is brushing off an upbeat gross domestic product (GDP) reading that saw the U.S. economy grow by 3% in the second quarter, handily above the 2.3% estimates. On the tariff front, President Donald Trump noted that the Aug. 1 tariff deadline "will not be extended" and a 25% levy will be implemented on India. U.S.-China trade is also in focus, with negotiations ongoing.

Continue reading for more on today's market, including:

• 3 bear picks to watch the remainder of 2025. 
• Streaming stock suffers major post-earnings gap lower.
• Plus, three stocks seeing volatile post-earnings swings.

5 Things You Need to Know Today

1. The Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 2 million call contracts and 1.1 million put contracts traded on Tuesday. The single-session equity put/call ratio fell to 0.57, while the 21-day moving average remained at 0.59.
2. Credit card giant Visa Inc (NYSE:V) is down 2.5% before the bell, brushing off the company's fiscal third-quarter earnings and revenue beat of $2.98 per share on $10.2 billion. Instead, what's weighing on V is a reaffirmed 2025 guidance. Today's losses will test recent support at $350 and possibly breach the +10% year-to-date level.
3. Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) stock is up 8.3% in premarket trading, after the healthcare company posted better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and hiked its full-year profit outlook. Today's boost will test Humana stocks 8.3% deficit in 2025 and clear a confluence of moving averages sitting overhead. 
4. Starbucks Corp (NASDAQ:SBUX) is up 5.9% ahead of the open, looking to extend its year-to-date gains after the coffee chain posted a fiscal third-quarter earnings miss and revenue beat. SBUX has been chopping between the $90 and $100 levels since early June, sitting just above breakeven in 2025.
5. More earnings are on deck this week.

European Markets Mixed as Earnings Roll In

Asian markets finished mixed, as investors eyed shaky U.S.-China trade developments. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng led the losses with a 1.4% drop, while Japan’s Nikkei inched 0.05% lower. Elsewhere, China’s Shanghai Composite rose 0.2%, while the South Korean Kospi added 0.7%.

European bourses are trading on both sides of the aisle as well, as corporate earnings continue to roll in. The euro zone economy expanded by 0.1% in the second quarter, higher than analyst estimates of a flat reading after last quarter’s 0.6% rise. Notably, Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk (NVO) is extending yesterday’s fall after a profit warning, while Porsche cited significant macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges for its sharp drop in profit. London’s FTSE 100 was last seen down 0.4%. while the French CAC 40 and German DAX rise 0.5% and 0.1%, respectively.