Wall Street Steadies as Nvidia Dips Post-Earnings Amid Trade, Economic Worries

U.S. stock futures showed little movement on Wednesday evening as Wall Street attempted to recover from four days of sharp losses. Investor sentiment remained fragile amid concerns over trade tariffs and a slowing U.S. economy.

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) slipped slightly in after-hours trading despite exceeding fourth-quarter earnings expectations. The AI chip leader reported robust demand from major tech firms, forecasting Q1 revenue of $43 billion, above estimates of $42.05 billion. However, concerns over rising production costs due to the Blackwell chip ramp-up weighed on the stock. Initially rising 2%, Nvidia’s gains faded, closing around $131.

Meanwhile, other semiconductor stocks saw marginal gains, with Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO) and AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) inching higher. Nvidia's AI-fueled stock surge, up nearly 400% in two years, faced pressure amid growing competition from China’s DeepSeek, raising concerns over the sustainability of massive AI investments.

S&P 500 futures edged up 0.1% to 5,979.0 points, while Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.2% to 21,231.50 points. Dow Jones futures dipped 0.1% to 43,470.0 points. The S&P 500 closed flat at 5,956.18 points, the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.3%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.4%.

Investors remain cautious as economic uncertainty looms. Wall Street’s losses deepened after former President Donald Trump threatened additional trade tariffs, while weak consumer sentiment readings signaled economic cooling. All eyes are now on upcoming key economic indicators, including Q4 GDP data on Thursday and the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, the PCE price index, on Friday.