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US markets today: S&P 500, Nasdaq futures indicate gap-down open, Dow futures gain; tech stocks under pressure

Anubhav Mukherjee
By Anubhav Mukherjee

5 min read | Updated on August 18, 2026, 17:40 IST

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SUMMARY

S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures indicate a negative open on Tuesday, August 18, as investors focus on higher crude oil prices and selloff momentum among tech stocks on Wall Street after a lower Asian market close.

Dow Jones futures indicate higher open, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures indicate a mixed open ahead of the opening bell on Tuesday, August 18. | Image: Pixabay

Dow Jones futures indicate higher open, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures indicate a mixed open ahead of the opening bell on Tuesday, August 18. | Image: Pixabay

US markets today: US equity futures on Wall Street indicate that the S&P 500 and Nasdaq is set to open lower, while Dow Jones likely to record marginal gains on Tuesday, August 18, as investors focused on oil prices above $91 per barrel, Trump’s threat on Oman, and elevated risk sentiment in the global market.
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Investing.com data showed that the Dow Jones futures were trading 0.04% lower at 53,520 points ahead of the opening bell on Tuesday, indicating a marginally higher opening in comparison to the previous Wall Street close.

The S&P 500 index futures were trading 0.44% lower at 7,734.50 points ahead of the opening bell on August 18, indicating a marginally lower opening on Tuesday’s market, as per the exchange data.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures crashed 1.2% to 29,731 points, indicating a potentially 260-point lower opening on Tuesday’s market, when compared to the previous US equity market close.

Investors will also be trading against the backdrop of US 30-year bond yields rising to its highest level in the last 19 years to 5.327%, adding pressure on the bond market.

Also read: Dow Jones, S&P 500 decline over 0.5% as oil prices rise

Key things to watch before US market opens

US markets recap

The US equity market indices ended lower after their trading session on Monday, August 18, as investors focused on the rebounding crude oil prices while the inflation concerns increased the US bond yields to multi-year high levels.

Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.51% or 272 points lower at 53,459.78 points after the trading session on Monday, in comparison to 53,732.42 points at the previous US stock market close, according to MarketWatch data.

The S&P 500 index closed 0.52% or 40 points lower at 7,745.06 points after the trading session on August 17, compared to 7,785.76 points at the previous equity market close, as per the exchange data.

Nasdaq 100 index ended 0.17% or 50 points lower at 29,995.38 points after the trading session on Monday, in comparison to 30,046.14 points at the previous Wall Street close.

Also read: NIFTY50 falls for a sixth straight session, SENSEX plunges 493 points on rising crude prices

Economic data release today

US equity market investors are set to focus on the upcoming import price data for July 2026, which is set to be released by the Bureau of Labour Statistics at 8:30 am (ET) in the United States.

Investors will also monitor the industrial production data for July 2026, which is expected to be released by the US Federal Reserve around 9:15 am (ET) on Tuesday, August 18.

Investors will also analyse the market and prepare their bets ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s upcoming minutes of the August 2026 meeting release on Wednesday. The key release will give investors further insight into the committee’s stance on the interest rate trajectory for the US economy.

Also read: HAL, Bharat Dynamics, others power Nifty India Defence up over 1% as Ministry unveils ₹3,070 crore business plan

US stocks to watch

Tesla: Billionaire Elon Musk-led Tesla shares were trading nearly 2% lower during the pre-market trading session on Nasdaq ahead of the opening bell on August 18, as heavyweight stocks came under pressure amid high government bond yields in the market.

Higher bond yields, in turn, lower the current value of future tech sector profits while increasing the borrowing cost of capital-intensive tech companies.

Nvidia: Chipmaking giant Nvidia shares will remain in focus of investors as the stock declined over 2% during Tuesday’s pre-market session ahead of the opening bell, as per MarketWatch data.
Micron Technology: Micron Tech shares were trading nearly 5% lower during the pre-market trading session on Tuesday, as investors focused on the continued losses of the company amid muted tech cues from Asian markets.
Intel: Intel shares were trading more than 4% lower during the pre-market session on Nasdaq ahead of the opening bell on August 18, as investors focused on the weak momentum for high-growth tech stocks.
Other tech stocks: Technology sector stocks like AMD down 3%, Microsoft down 1%, SK Hynix ADR down 5%, Marvell Technology down 6%, Nebius NV down 1.8%, were among others in focus of investors on Tuesday’s market.

What happened in Asian markets today?

The equity markets in Asia declined on Tuesday, closing lower as the indices reserved its initial gains due to the subdued performance of the technology and chipmaking stocks amid heightened risk sentiment for high-growth sectors amid global market uncertainties.

MarketWatch data showed that Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended 2.5% lower, South Korea’s KOSPI closed 1.55% lower, Singapore’s FTSE dropped 1.16%, and India’s BSE SENSEX ended 0.63% lower on August 18.

While the Hong Kong-based Hang Seng ended near flat levels, while China’s Shanghai Composite ended 0.19% higher after the trading session on Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This article is purely for informational purposes and should not be considered investment advice from Upstox. Please consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

About The Author

Anubhav Mukherjee
Anubhav Mukherjee is a business journalist with experience at leading financial news platforms. He writes on a wide range of topics, including equity markets, corporate developments, company earnings and commodities. He holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business & Financial Journalism by Bloomberg from the Asian College of Journalism.

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