Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during afternoon trading on Oct. 14, 2025 in New York City. <\/p>\n
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images<\/p>\n
U.S. stock futures are little changed Wednesday night after strong bank earnings shifted investor focus from risks both at home and abroad as a U.S. government shutdown heads into its third week and escalating trade tensions with China persist.<\/p>\n
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average<\/a> rose just 3 points, or less than 1%. S&P futures<\/a> and Nasdaq 100 futures<\/a> each add 0.1%.<\/p>\n In after-hours trading, J.B. Hunt Transport Services<\/a> shares jumped more than 11% after the company beat Wall Street’s earnings and revenue expectations and Salesforce<\/a> shares rose after the company gave a strong forecast<\/a>. Shares of United Airlines<\/a> dipped about 2%, on the other hand, after the airline’s revenue<\/a> disappointed.<\/p>\n Stocks choppy trading on Wednesday, but both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended in the green as investors were encouraged by strong earnings from major banks. The S&P 500<\/a> closed higher by 0.4%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite<\/a> added 0.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average<\/a> closed slightly below the flatline. The Russell 2000 index<\/a> of small-cap stocks broke out to a new high.<\/p>\n Volatility has increased this week, particularly as tit-for-tat trade tensions have flared up between the U.S. and China. The\u00a0Cboe Volatility Index (VIX)<\/a>, widely referred to as Wall Street’s fear gauge, finished the day at 20.6.<\/p>\n Stocks have seesawed since President Donald Trump on Tuesday\u00a0threatened China with a cooking oil trade ban<\/a>. The retaliatory move came as Beijing purchased fewer U.S. soybeans due to Trump’s tariffs implemented earlier this year. Trump has also threatened to place an additional 100% tariff on any goods coming from China in response to the country’s new export controls on rare earth minerals. The Trump administration plans to set price floors across a range of industries<\/a> to combat market manipulation by China, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Separately, investors are keeping a watchful eye as the U.S. government shutdown continues for a third week<\/a>. The stoppage has led to an indefinite shutdown of crucial economic data releases from federal agencies, giving traders less information at a time when concerns about the labor market, the effect of tariffs on consumers<\/a>, high interest rates and historically elevated market valuations all remain top of mind.<\/p>\n