Initial trends on the U.S. Futures Index point to a lower open for Wall Street.
Asian shares finished lower, while European shares are trading mostly down.
As of 7.40 am ET, the Dow futures were down 74.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were declining 15.25 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were down 51.75 points.
The U.S. major averages ended mixed on Tuesday. The Dow ended with a modest loss of 50.56 points or 0.15 percent at 33,042.78. The S&P 500 settled at 4,205.52, little changed from the previous close, while the Nasdaq ended up 41.74 points or 0.32 percent at 13,017.43.
On the economic front, the Institute for Supply Management's Chicago PMI for May will be released at 9.45 am ET. The consensus is 47.0, while it was up 48.6 in the prior month.
The Labor Department's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for April will be issued at 10.00 am ET. The consensus is 9.350 million while it was up 9.590 million in the prior month.
The State Street Investor Confidence Index for May is scheduled at 10.00 am ET. In the prior month, the Index was up 83.5.
The Beige Book published roughly two weeks prior to the monetary policy meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee is expected at 2.00 pm ET.
The Agriculture Department's Farm Prices for April will be published at 3.00 pm ET. In the prior month, the prices were up 1.3 percent.
Asian stocks slumped on Wednesday. China's Shanghai Composite index dropped 0.61 percent to 3,204.56.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index plunged 1.94 percent to 18,234.27.
Japanese shares fell sharply. The Nikkei average settled 1.41 percent lower at 30,887.88. The broader Topix index fell 1.32 percent to 2,130.63.
Australian stocks tumbled to reach over two-month lows. The benchmark S&P ASX 200 fell 1.64 percent to 7,091.30 while the broader All Ordinaries index ended 1.54 percent lower at 7,273.50.
European shares are trading mostly lower. CAC 40 of France is down 33.31 points or 0.46 percent. DAX of Germany is declining 53.07 points or 0.33 percent. FTSE 100 of England is sliding 6.38 points or 0.08 percent. The Swiss Market Index is up 47.37 points or 0.42 percent.
Euro Stoxx 50 which provides a Blue-chip representation of supersector leaders in the Eurozone, is down 0.44 percent.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.