Stock market today: Live updates

Stock futures were relatively unchanged on Tuesday as investors digested a slew of earnings results and took a breather following a rally in the previous session.

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up 25 points, or about 0.1%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq-100 futures traded just above the flatline.

Equity futures received a bit of a boost after a trio of old economy stocks saw gains on the heels of better-than-expected quarterly results. Shares of General Motors soared 8% in the premarket hiked its guidance for the full year and topped estimates. The Detroit automaker also lowered its estimated impact from President Donald Trump’s tariffs for the year, saying that it expects to offset about 35% of that hit. Additionally, Coca-Cola and 3M jumped 2% each after their latest releases also surpassed Wall Street’s estimates.

Meanwhile, other names like Zions Bancorp were almost 1% higher after the regional bank reported third-quarter profits that rose from a year ago, despite the disclosure of some bad loans late last week that sparked a broader market rout.

The latest moves come after the three major U.S. indexes rose on Monday, lifted by a jump in Apple shares and optimism that the U.S. government shutdown could be nearing an end. National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday that the impasse — now the third-longest government shutdown in U.S. history — “is likely to end sometime this week” and that the White House was prepared to take stronger measures to force an end to the stalemate if no deal is reached this week.

Investors are monitoring a crucial week ahead for third-quarter earnings, which are revving up with Netflix set to report after the bell Tuesday and Tesla due Wednesday. A strong start to the earnings season so far appears to be supporting the broader market rally, particularly amid an economic data blackout due to the government shutdown.

More than three-quarters of the S&P 500 companies that have posted results so far have beaten expectations, according to FactSet. Major tech companies are expected to account for a dominant portion of profits as the artificial intelligence trade remains strong, with the “Magnificent Seven” companies expected to report year-over-year earnings growth of 14.9%, compared with 6.7% for the index’s remaining 493 companies, per FactSet.

“If the Mag Seven can deliver on elevated profit expectations … markets could see another leg higher. Market action on Friday and Monday might suggest investors are beginning to place their chips on Big Tech ahead of key profit reports next week,” said Ameriprise Financial chief market strategist Anthony Saglimbene. “Given elevated expectations and valuations, results from this group could influence broader market direction into year-end.”

“Profit outperformance, combined with stable outlooks and strong AI tailwinds, could be greeted favorably as we move through the earnings season, though some may argue stock prices already reflect these positives,” Saglimbene added.

Propping up sentiment is also the market’s anticipation of another quarter percentage point rate cut at the Federal Reserve’s late October meeting. Consumer price index data due Friday is expected to give clues on the state of inflation, which could influence the central bank’s upcoming decision.

Trade tensions between the U.S. and China are also in the spotlight. Trump has threatened an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports beginning Nov. 1, but his optimistic comments on a potential trade deal with Beijing have assuaged fears about an escalating trade war. Trump said on Monday he expects to reach a fair deal with Beijing after his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month in South Korea.