US pre-open: Futures point to cautious open as investors eye retail sales data

10th Feb 2026 12:50

(Sharecast News) - Wall Street futures were cautiously higher ahead of the bell on Tuesday after hitting another all-time high in the previous session.

As of 1245 GMT, Dow Jones futures were up 0.06%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 0.11% and 0.05% firmer, respectively.

The Dow closed 20.20 points higher on Monday, ekeing out another fresh record close.

Major indices were trading only slightly higher prior to the open, with investors holding out for December's retail sales report at 1330 GMT, with market participants expecting to see a 0.5% month-on-month gain, or a 0.3% uptick when stripping out auto-related items.

Tuesday's retail sales figures come ahead of the week's first major data release in the form of Wednesday's belated jobs report, which could provide the basis for a potential dovish shift in sentiment for the Federal Reserve.

Elsewhere on the macro front, the National Federation of Independent Business' January small business optimism index fell to 99.3 in January, down from 99.5 in December and short of forecasts for a reading of 99.9. Of the ten components of the index, three increased and seven decreased. Expected real sales volume was the only component with substantial change, increasing by six points to a net 16%. Additionally, 60% reported capital outlays in the last six months, up four points from December to the highest level since November 2023.

Still to come, December's import and export price indexes will be published at 1330 GMT, while November business inventories data will follow at 1500 BST.

In the corporate space, soft drinks giant Coca-Cola's Q4 revenues fell short of expectations amid weak consumer demand, while CVS Health posted Q4 earnings and revenue that beat estimates, leading it to reaffirm its FY profit guidance.

Streaming outfit Spotify added a record number of monthly users in Q4 as it hit 290m paid subscribers, toymaker Hasbro swung to a profit in Q4 but forecast annual revenue that was below Wall Street estimates amidst a consumer push back on non-essential purchases due to economic uncertainty, and iconic motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson traded lower in pre-market action as weak FY26 guidance overshadowed its Q4 beat.

Ford and Lyft will both report earnings after the close.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com