US stock futures muted; Nvidia flat after strong Q4 earnings

Investing.com-- U.S. stock index futures moved little on Wednesday evening as Wall Street steadied after four days of steep losses, although sentiment remained frail amid concerns over trade tariffs and the economy.

Artificial intelligence major NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) fell slightly in aftermarket trade, even after it clocked stronger-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter and said AI-driven chip demand remained strong. 

Futures steadied after a rangebound session on Wall Street, where caution over increased trade tariffs and a slowing U.S. economy kept investors to the sidelines. This came after Wall Street indexes clocked four straight days of steep losses, with tech also seeing heavy profit-taking in the run-up to Nvidia. 

S&P 500 Futures rose 0.1% to 5,979.0 points, while Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 0.2% to 21,231.50 points by 18:18 ET (23:18 GMT). Dow Jones Futures fell 0.1% to 43,470.0 points. 

Nvidia flat after Q4 earnings, outlook, beat expectations

Nvidia fell slightly in aftermarket trade on Wednesday, hovering around $131. The stock had initially risen about 2%, but curbed its gains. 

The company clocked stronger-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter, as it benefited from growing demand for advanced AI chips- especially from Wall Street’s technology giants. 

Nvidia forecast first quarter revenue of $43 billion, more than expectations of $42.05 billion. But the company forecast a softer-than-expected gross margin for the current quarter, as its Blackwell production ramp-up heralded increased expenses. 

Nvidia is a major beneficiary of an AI-fueled rally in stocks, having surged some 400% over the past two years. But this rally was seen running out of steam in recent weeks, especially with the emergence of China’s DeepSeek.

DeepSeek sparked questions about whether outsized capital investment in AI was necessary, especially when companies could adopt leaner, more efficient models. 

Other chipmaking stocks were mildly positive after Nvidia’s earnings, with Broadcom Inc (NASDAQ:AVGO) and AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) rising marginally in after-hours trade.

Wall St treads water after 4-day rout; more economic cues awaited 

Wall Street indexes ended flat on Wednesday after marking four days of sustained losses, as sentiment was rattled by U.S. President Donald Trump threatening to impose more trade tariffs.

Fears of a cooling U.S. economy also weighed, following a string of weak consumer sentiment prints.

The S&P 500 closed flat at 5,956.18 points on Wednesday, while the NASDAQ Composite rose 0.3% to 19,075.26 points. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lagged, falling 0.4% to 43,433.12 points. 

Focus is now on more upcoming economic readings, with fourth-quarter gross domestic product data due on Thursday.

PCE price index data- the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge- is due on Friday.