Tariffs, AI Chips And Utility Surge Shape Tuesday’s Open

Introduction#

Monday’s session saw an orderly retreat across Wall Street as the tariff drumbeat from Washington grew louder and traders locked in recent gains. According to Monexa AI, the S&P 500 closed at 6,229.98 after slipping -0.79%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell -0.94% to 44,406.36. A heavy-weight Technology cohort and fresh weakness in Energy left breadth negative, yet Utilities finished higher as investors rotated toward safety. Overnight, Asian and European equities stabilized after President Trump postponed his “reciprocal” tariff start-date to 1 August and hinted that negotiations remain fluid. U.S. index futures are mixed but off their earlier lows, keeping sellers honest ahead of a busy week of Treasury auctions and Fed commentary.

Market Overview#

Yesterday’s Close Recap#

Stocks opened in the green but quickly lost altitude as headlines confirmed the White House had formally notified fourteen countries of steeper duties. Weakness in mega-cap Technology names such as AAPL (-1.69%) and NVDA (-0.69%) overshadowed gains in defensive pockets. Volatility crept higher, with the CBOE Russell 2000 Volatility Index jumping almost 8%, hinting at rising concern below the surface.

Overnight Developments#

Asian bourses reversed early weakness following reports that the tariff deadline was “not 100% firm.” The Nikkei 225 finished up +0.4%, while South Korea’s KOSPI added +0.3%. In Australia, equities lagged after the Reserve Bank of Australia surprised markets by holding rates, citing tariff uncertainty in its forward guidance. European indices are modestly higher in mid-morning trade as investors digest a drop in Brent to $69.46. Meanwhile, Dow futures are off -0.1%, S&P 500 futures hover near unchanged, and Nasdaq 100 futures edge up +0.2%, suggesting a cautious but constructive tone heading into the cash open.

Macro Analysis#

Economic Indicators to Watch#

The data calendar is light today, but the NFIB Small-Business Optimism Index for June, due at 6:00 ET, could offer an early read on Main-Street sentiment after May’s surprise spike. Later this week, focus shifts to Wednesday’s 10-year and Thursday’s 30-year Treasury auctions, which will test appetite for U.S. debt in the wake of last month’s tax-and-spend bill and in the shadow of widening deficits. Inflation numbers re-enter the conversation on Thursday with June core CPI; any upside surprise would complicate the Fed’s “wait-and-see” stance flagged by Stifel, which warned of a potential -12% S&P correction should tariffs feed through to prices.

Global & Geopolitical Factors#

Tariff rhetoric remains the primary macro swing factor. The Council of Economic Advisors argued overnight that import tariffs have not fueled price pressures, but bond traders are unconvinced, driving the 10-year yield back toward 4.55%. Geopolitical tension also lingers in the Middle East, although crude’s -0.4% pullback suggests supply fears are being balanced by softer demand expectations.

Sector Analysis#

Utilities outperformed for the third session in four as traders favored predictable cash flows amid policy risk. PEG rallied +1.38% after UBS argued new nuclear PPAs could unlock hidden value, reinforcing the group’s earnings stability theme. Consumer Cyclical logged a counter-trend gain spurred by travel and specialty retail; TSCO surged +3.90%, and WYNN advanced +2.88% as leisure bookings remain resilient. Technology’s modest decline hides notable dispersion: software bellwethers held up, but chip names slipped and TSLA plunged -6.79% on a William Blair downgrade.

Energy lagged as OPEC+ signaled higher output and traders weighed how tariffs could sap global fuel demand. Defensive Consumer Staples enjoyed selective strength, with WMT finishing +1.05% and KR +2.32%, underlining the sector’s inflation hedge characteristics.

Company-Specific Insights#

Earnings, Downgrades & Catalysts#

Monday’s most consequential corporate move came from William Blair, which cut TSLA to Market Perform. The broker pointed to the removal of CAFE credits—worth roughly $2.8 billion to Tesla in 2024—and an impending end to the $7,500 federal EV tax credit. Blair contends these policy shocks erase a high-margin revenue stream and threaten factory utilization in Q4, a view that sent Tesla shares tumbling to $293.94. The downgrade also reverberated across the EV supply chain, pressuring lithium names such as ALB (-2.60%).

E-commerce giant AMZN eked out a +0.03% gain as it kicked off an extended four-day Prime Day. Adobe Analytics projects $23.8 billion in U.S. digital spend, up +28.4% YoY. Early channel checks suggest healthy traffic, a potential offset to tariff-driven cost pressures rattling broader retail.

IBM captured attention overnight by unveiling Power11, a chip architecture aimed squarely at AI inference rather than training. Management claims zero planned downtime and up to 1.8× performance-per-watt versus incumbent servers, underscoring how enterprise spending is pivoting toward efficiency. The servers ship 25 July, solidifying IBM’s place in a market largely dominated by Nvidia training GPUs.

Supplier data reinforced the AI-build thematic. Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn reported +15.82% YoY Q2 revenue, citing robust demand for AI infrastructure parts tied to NVDA. That datapoint supports BlackRock’s thesis that AI remains a “macro anchor” even as traditional anchors fade.

Travel also offered evidence of durable demand. Low-cost carrier RYAAY guided to higher summer fares despite heatwave chatter, suggesting European leisure momentum remains intact. Meanwhile, UBS started JBLU at Sell, flagging cost headwinds and weak unit revenue; forthcoming Q2 results may underscore diverging fortunes within aviation.

Movers Outside the Headlines#

Software analytics darling PLTR defied sector softness with a +3.54% pop, buoyed by bullish retail flows. Ride-hailing leader UBER matched that tone, gaining +3.39% after inclusion on yet another “monster-stocks” watchlist. Within Financials, CME climbed +2.11% on elevated futures volume tied to tariff hedging activity, while MKTX advanced +2.41% as bond traders price greater rate volatility.

Extended Analysis#

The simultaneous rise in volatility gauges and strength in defensives echoes spring 2018, when tariff salvos first rattled risk appetite. At that time, Utilities outperformed the S&P 500 by almost 500 basis points over six weeks. A similar rotation is emerging: Utilities’ +1.48% Monday gain occurred alongside a -0.79% S&P drawdown, widening their relative strength breakout that began in mid-June. Coupled with a 17.79 print on the VIX, still below its 50-day average of 18.53, traders appear to be insuring portfolios rather than fleeing en masse.

The tariff cloud also exposes divergence among Technology bellwethers: hardware firms with tangible supply-chain exposure—e.g., Nvidia and Apple—are under modest pressure, whereas cloud-heavy operators like MSFT (-0.22%) remain more insulated. IBM’s focus on inference, which requires less cutting-edge lithography than training, could offer margin protection if semiconductor tariffs ratchet higher.

On the macro front, the Council of Economic Advisors’ report dismissing tariffs as inflationary conflicts with bond-market pricing, which pushed breakevens up 4 bps yesterday. Bond desks therefore expect this week’s auctions to clear with higher tails unless rhetoric cools further. Should bid-to-cover ratios soften, equity multiples could compress, particularly in long-duration growth names that benefit from low real yields.

Conclusion#

Morning Recap and Outlook#

Futures suggest a tentative bounce as traders weigh three intertwined forces: tariff headlines that are fluid but still threatening, an AI investment cycle that continues to gather steam, and a defensive bid that refuses to fade. Utilities and Consumer Staples retain momentum, and the prime day of Prime Day offers an important gauge of discretionary appetite. Treasury auctions mid-week hold the key to rate stability; a smooth take-up would reassure equity bulls, while weak demand could reignite the bond-equity correlation higher.

For today, watch whether TSLA stabilizes above the $290 area; sustained weakness would deepen worries about policy risk to growth franchises. Track early read-outs on Prime Day volumes for any hint of demand fatigue, and monitor intra-day moves in Brent—below $69 would compound Energy sector pressure. Finally, keep an eye on IBM’s server-order commentary during its noon ET product webinar; a robust book-to-bill ratio could re-energize semis after yesterday’s wobble.

Key Takeaways: tariff postponements have bought the market time but not clarity; Utilities’ leadership signals elevated caution; AI infrastructure spending remains a bright spot; and Treasury supply could dictate whether volatility, already ticking up, morphs into a broader risk-off move by week’s end.

Stay nimble, stay data-dependent, and be prepared for rapid rotations as policy headlines cross the tape.