Dow futures plunge on Tuesday: 5 things to know before market opens

US stock futures are facing some pressure on Tuesday as the S&P 500 futures slipped 0.3% in early trading.

The futures tied to other Wall Street indices were also trading in red with Nasdaq 100 futures declining over 0.4% while Dow Jones futures shedding over 120 points.

The move comes as stock markets across the globe remain volatile amid the US-Iran war, which has pushed oil prices to multi-year highs.

On Tuesday, the oil prices jumped around 4% with Brent crude remaining above the critical $100 a barrel mark.

5 things to know before Wall Street opens

1. Oil prices continue to dominate the headlines with Brent crude again surging above the $100.

The analysts have pointed out the continued escalation in conflict and said that the oil prices are expected to remain high for the next few weeks.

“With us now in the third week of the conflict and no signs of energy flows resuming. We have therefore had a hard rethink of our scenarios, along with our base case,” Warren Patterson, head of commodities strategy at ING Group, said in a report.

2. On the earnings front, Lululemon, DocuSign and Oklo are among the key companies due to report results on Tuesday.

Lululemon is set to release its Q4 results after the close, with investors watching margins, North America demand and its 2026 outlook.

For DocuSign, Wall Street is focused on billings, subscription growth and forward guidance.

Oklo said it would report full-year 2025 financial results and investors will keep a close eye on cash burn, project development and progress in advanced nuclear commercialization.

3. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 4.1% at the end of its March 16-17 meeting, in what many had called a “knife-edge” decision.

The hike effectively reverses two of the rate cuts made during its 2025 easing cycle, showing that inflation is still proving stubborn.

A big part of that pressure is coming from higher global energy prices, especially linked to tensions in the Middle East.

That said, the move didn’t completely catch markets off guard.

Most economists were already leaning toward a hike, and many still expect rates to edge higher, possibly reaching around 4.35% by the end of 2026.

4. Nvidia remains in focus with its GTC conference, where CEO Jensen Huang is all set to go live today.

There is already a lot of interest building, especially after Morgan Stanley doubled down on its bullish view of the stock earlier this week.

That said, Nvidia hasn’t been moving straight up lately. The stock is still about 13.5% below its October high and is slightly down so far in 2026.

5. The global investors traded cautiously on Tuesday.

In Asia, stocks were mixed as investors tried to make sense of the latest moves in oil prices and the ongoing tensions between the US and Iran.

The swings in energy markets are starting to weigh on sentiment, especially with concerns that higher crude prices could hurt growth.

Over in Europe, it was a similar story.

Markets struggled to find a clear direction as traders kept a close eye on oil’s rebound and what it might mean for inflation, economic growth, and company profits.

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