5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens

Stock futures were making small moves early Wednesday, with investors watched more big-bank earnings after Bank of America (BAC) reported mixed results; bitcoin (BTCUSD) rose after legislators vowed to move cryptocurrency legislation forward; chipmakers’ shares pointed lower after ASML Holding (ASML) warned that growth could stall in 2026; Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) rose after it lifted its full-year guidance and reported better-than-expected quarterly results.

Here’s what investors need to know today.

1. Stock Futures Mixed as Investors Await More Bank Earnings

Stock futures were mixed premarket as investors awaited more earnings reports from banks and other major U.S. corporations and watched cryptocurrency legislation in the House of Representatives. Nasdaq futures were 0.2% lower after the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite index hit a record high a day earlier, helped by chipmakers. S&P 500 futures pointed a bit lower after the index moved off of record levels as bank earnings disappointed. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures ticked higher after the blue-chip index shed 400 points in the prior session.

Yields on the 10-year Treasury note declined to trade at around 4.48%. Gold futures moved higher while oil futures declined.

2. Bank of America Reports Mixed Results as Investors Watch Bank Earnings

Bank of America reported better second-quarter profits than analysts had projected, while revenue and net interest income fell just short. Bank of America’s net interest income rose 7% year-over-year but fell short of analyst estimates.

Investors will be watching for more bank results after several financial institutions reported weaker-than-expected results or lowered their outlooks yesterday, which sent the KBW Nasdaq Bank Index lower by 2.4% in Tuesday trading. Morgan Stanley (MS) and Goldman Sachs (GS) were among the big financial firms also reporting Wednesday; Goldman’s results were stronger than expected, as were Morgan Stanley’s.

3. Bitcoin Rises After Legislators Vow to Approve Crypto Bill

Bitcoin (BTCUSD) traded near $118,000 after President Donald Trump posted on social media that a handful of Republican legislators had agreed to advance cryptocurrency legislation.

A procedural vote on the GENIUS Act failed on Tuesday after several Republicans pulled their support, leading Trump to meet with the legislators late on Tuesday. The bill would let private companies to issue stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency that has its value tied directly to a state-issued currency, often the U.S. dollar. It’s part of several legislative measures that were expected to be taken up as part of “Crypto Week” in the House of Representatives.

4. Chipmakers Turn Lower on ASML Growth Warning

Nvidia (NVDA)  shares edged lower in premarket trading after the AI chipmaker hit another all-time-high following the news that it would soon begin delivering its H20 chips to China following the U.S. lifting export restrictions.

ASML Holding’s (ASML) U.S.-listed shares slid after the maker of silicon chip fabrication equipment said it could not guarantee growth in 2026 amid uncertainty over tariffs. The Dutch company reported better-than-expected revenue and earnings.

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) were lower by 1% in early trading.

5. Johnson & Johnson Posts Earnings Beat as Results Keep Coming

Johnson & Johnson shares were more than 2% higher premarket after it lifted its full-year projections and reported second quarter results that beat estimates.

The medical device and drug maker posted adjusted earnings per share of $2.77 on sales that rose 5.8% from the same time a year ago, both better than analysts estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. Investors were also watching for earnings today from United Airlines (UAL), coming after Delta delivered a strong earnings report last week, among other companies.

S&P 500 companies, as a group, are expected to report more-than-9% year-over-year earnings growth, according to a FactSet projection issued late Tuesday.

This article was updated after it was first published to incorporate links to other Investopedia stories that were subsequently published.