White House Seeks $87.6 Billion Emergency Funding for Iran War, Farmers, and Ebola Response 
BOJ Hawk Signals Faster Interest Rate Hikes Amid Inflation Risks 
Asian Currencies Trade Mixed as Yen Hovers Near 40-Year Low, Dollar Holds Firm on Fed Outlook 
Trump Requests $11 Billion More in Farm Aid as Rising Costs Pressure U.S. Farmers 
Oil Prices Drop as Strait of Hormuz Shipping Recovers 
Wall Street Ends Lower as AI Stocks Drag Markets, Fed Rate Outlook Shifts 
Trump Threatens 100% Tariffs on Countries Imposing Digital Services Taxes on U.S. Tech Firms 
S&P Affirms Brazil’s BB Credit Rating with Stable Outlook Amid Fiscal Challenges 
Gold Drops Below $4,000 as Strong US Dollar and Fed Rate Hike Expectations Pressure Bullion 
US Dollar Slips After PCE Inflation Data as Fed Rate Hike Expectations Stay Elevated 
South Korea’s KOSPI Plunges as Apple Price Hikes and OpenAI IPO Delay Shake AI Chip Stocks 
Wall Street Ends Mixed as Micron Surges, Apple Drops After Price Hikes 
Iran Attack in Strait of Hormuz Pushes Oil Prices Higher 
Japan Signals Preference for Low Interest Rates as BOJ Policy Debate Intensifies 
World Bank Approves $1.1 Billion Emergency Funding for Bangladesh Amid Food and Energy Price Pressures 
Morgan Stanley Sees Chinese Auto Market Recovery Gaining Momentum in Late Summer 
Asian Markets Rally as Micron and Qualcomm AI Outlook Lifts Global Tech Stocks 
U.S. stock index futures traded flat Tuesday evening following a downbeat Wall Street session as investors reassessed the artificial intelligence (AI) rally and monitored ongoing political gridlock in Washington. Markets remained tense amid a persistent government shutdown, with Congress making little headway toward approving a spending bill despite President Donald Trump’s mediation efforts.
As of 19:20 ET (23:20 GMT), S&P 500 Futures hovered at 6,762.50 points, Nasdaq 100 Futures were unchanged at 25,047.0, and Dow Jones Futures steadied at 46,852.0.
Tuesday’s losses came largely from weakness in technology and AI-linked stocks. Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) dropped 2.4% during the session and another 0.5% after hours following a report from The Information suggesting thin margins in its chip rental business. The revelation raised doubts about Oracle’s AI expansion strategy. The news triggered a broader tech selloff, with NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) slipping 0.3% and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) down 1.8%. However, Nvidia later steadied after Bloomberg reported it plans to invest up to $2 billion in Elon Musk’s xAI, a move expected to deepen its dominance in the AI chip market.
Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) also weighed on sentiment, plunging nearly 5% after unveiling new low-cost versions of its Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. Analysts viewed the pricing as insufficient to significantly revive slowing EV sales.
Despite the pullback, analysts note tech stocks are still supported by optimism surrounding AI innovation, following a strong rally that pushed Wall Street to record highs last week.
Looking ahead, attention turns to key Federal Reserve speeches and the release of September meeting minutes. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan speaks Wednesday, followed by Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday. Markets expect a 25-basis-point rate cut in October, driven by signs of a cooling labor market, though economic clarity remains limited as the shutdown delays critical data releases.
