Nasdaq, S&P 500 Futures Lower As Markets Weigh Trump’s Iran Delay, Sticky Inflation Risks: Why NVDA, META, HD, HIMS Are Keeping Traders Engaged Today

• President Donald Trump said “serious negotiations” with Iran were underway, delaying a previously planned military strike. 
• Wall Street’s biggest focus remains Wednesday’s earnings report from NVDA, which many traders see as the next major test for the AI rally.
• Investors are also tracking reports that the SEC is preparing plans that could eventually allow trading of crypto-based versions of stocks.

U.S. stock futures were lower early Tuesday as investors digested rising inflation worries and geopolitical developments in the Middle East. Traders are also cautious ahead of Nvidia’s Q1 earnings report on Wednesday.

Optimism was briefly renewed after President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he is delaying a planned military strike on Iran to allow for "serious negotiations" brokered by Middle Eastern allies. However, rising crude oil prices and the 30-year Treasury yield hitting 5% stoke fears of a sticky inflation scenario, which may lead to a hawkish Federal Reserve.  

As of 4:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday: Dow futures were flat with a negative bias, while S&P 500, Nasdaq and Russell 2000 futures were down 0.3%.

Retail sentiment toward the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), an exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P 500 Index, and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) ETF, which tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index, has held at ‘extremely bullish’.

Trending Stocks To Watch

Nvidia (NVDA): A day before its earnings report, the chip giant has confirmed that its next-generation AI processors have begun early deliveries to top-tier AI labs like OpenAI and Anthropic. 

Alphabet Inc (GOOGL) is in focus following a $5 billion in initial investment from Blackstone to launch a new company will offer cloud capacity built on Google’s TPUs to external customers.

Meta (META) stock is in focus as investors track its AI-led restructuring efforts this week. Reports suggest that the company is reassigning 7,000 workers to new artificial intelligence roles amid planned reductions due on Thursday.

Intel Corp (INTC): CEO Lip-Bu Tan, in an interview with CNBC, said its foundry division has engaged multiple customers for its advanced 14A and 18A manufacturing nodes. 

Home Depot (HD) has drawn attention after Stifel reduced its price target on the home improvement retailer to $320 from a previous $375, ahead of its fiscal first-quarter (Q1) earnings today.

Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (HIMS): The telehealth firm has expanded its convertible debt offering to $350 million to fund its proposed Eucalyptus acquisition and AI health tech expansion plans.

Rocket Lab (RKLB): Retail investors are tracking a fresh Electron satellite launch for Japan's Synspective and a vital NASA-backed fuel storage mission, along with a shareholder meeting this week.

Investors are also tracking reports that the SEC is preparing plans that could eventually allow trading of crypto-based versions of stocks.

Other tickers trending on Stocktwits at the time of writing included Lululemon (LULU), Li Auto (LI), T-Mobile (TMUS), and UiPath Inc (PATH). 

Other Catalysts To Watch

On the economic front, investors are tracking the pending home sales at 10 am and Fed governor Christopher Waller’s speech later in the day for clues on interest rate trajectories.

On earnings radar, watch out for quarterly reports from Home Depot Inc (HD), Canaan Inc - ADR (CAN), Bilibili Inc. (BILI), Ceragon Networks Ltd (CRNT), and Elte (ELTK), among others, before the bell today. Meanwhile, Camber Energy Inc (CEIN), Kartoon Studios Inc (TOON), Target Corp (TGT), CervoMed Inc (CRVO), and CAVA Group Inc (CAVA), among others, report after market close. 

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