(Corrects the spelling of company name in last paragraph)
* Futures down: Dow 0.37%, S&P 500 0.30%, Nasdaq 0.25%
By Shreyashi Sanyal
Oct 23 (Reuters) - Wall Street was set to open lower on
Wednesday after warnings from Caterpillar and Texas Instruments
rekindled worries about a global economic slowdown due to
U.S.-China trade tensions.
Shares of Caterpillar Inc CAT.N slid 4% and were the
biggest decliners among Dow Industrials in trading before the
bell, as the company cut its yearly profit forecast on weak
demand in China. Trade tensions took a toll on chip industry bellwether Texas
Instruments TXN.O , which fell 9% after it forecast
current-quarter revenue below estimates. Other chipmakers including Intel Corp INTC.O , Analog
Devices Inc ADI.O and Nvidia Corp NVDA.O fell between 2% and
3.5%.
Still, the earnings season has largely been upbeat, with
over 80 of the 100 companies topping analysts' estimates,
according to Refinitiv data. But analysts still project the
first earnings contraction since 2016.
The S&P 500 .SPX is hovering near its record high on signs
of progress in trade negotiations between the world's top two
economies.
At 7:25 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis 1YMcv1 were down 98 points,
or 0.37%. S&P 500 e-minis EScv1 were down 9 points, or 0.3%
and Nasdaq 100 e-minis NQcv1 were down 19.5 points, or 0.25%.
A handful of healthcare companies rose on strong results.
Drugmaker Alexion Pharmaceuticals ALXN.O jumped 5% after
raising its full-year forecast.
Medical device makers Boston Scientific Corp BSX.N and
Thermo Fisher Scientific TMO.N gained 3% each on beating
quarterly profit estimates.