S&P 500 futures tick lower as traders analyze Nvidia earnings: Live updates

May 21, 2026
s&p-500-futures-tick-lower-as-traders-analyze-nvidia-earnings:-live-updates

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading on May 20, 2026 in New York City.

Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

S&P 500 futures slipped Wednesday night as investors debated whether Nvidia‘s earnings report met the high bar set for the artificial intelligence titan.

Futures tied to the broad index declined 0.4%, while Nasdaq 100 futures lost 0.6%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dropped 144 points, or 0.3%.

Nvidia breezed past Wall Street’s expectations for earnings and guidance, in addition to announcing a hike in its quarterly cash dividend to 25 cents. But investors have come to expect the chipmaker to beat estimates and raise its outlook amid the AI boom.

The megacap tech player’s shares whipsawed around their flatline in extended trading, last down about 1%.

Intuit tumbled 13% after posting worse-than-expected revenue and announcing a roughly 17% workforce reduction, or about 3,000 people. On the other hand, E.l.f. Beauty climbed 4% after beating Wall Street’s forecasts on both lines and saying it would roll back some tariff-related price increases.

Stocks rallied on Wednesday, snapping a three-day losing streak for the S&P 500, as oil prices and bond yields retreated. Investor spirits were lifted after President Donald Trump said the administration was in the “final stages” of negotiations with Iran, according to a pool report.

“The market is coming off a really strong earnings season that delivered positive revisions to earnings expectations, but concerns around inflation and demand destruction in the economy are proving persistent,” said Scott Helfstein, head of investment strategy at Global X ETFs. “That can be hard to look through, but there are still a lot of positive trends that can help propel the economy and markets.”

Investors on Thursday will monitor earnings from Walmart — the U.S.’ largest grocer and private employer — before the bell, followed by Workday after the market closes. Traders will also follow economic data releases on jobless claims, housing and manufacturing due in the morning.

Investors play SpaceX through ETFs

See the stocks moving after hours

These are some of the stocks moving after hours:

  • Nvidia — Shares ticked lower after the chip titan said revenue surged 85% year over year to $81.62 billion in the first quarter, exceeding the prediction of $78.86 billion from analysts polled by LSEG.
  • Intuit — Shares tumbled 10.3% after the financial software stock announced a 17% workforce cut. Intuit also missed analyst expectations for revenue in the third fiscal quarter.
  • E.l.f. Beauty — Shares of the retailer jumped nearly 5% after beating Wall Street’s expectations on the top and bottom lines for the fourth fiscal quarter.

See the full list here.

— Alex Harring

S&P 500 futures edge lower

S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.3% and 0.4%, respectively, shortly after 6 p.m. ET Wednesday night. Dow futures ticked down 0.1%.

— Alex Harring

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