US Stock Market Today: S&P 500 Futures Decline as Fed Rate Cut Doubts Linger

The Morning Bull – US Market Morning Update Tuesday, Nov, 18 2025

US stock futures are pointing lower this morning, as cautious signals from the Federal Reserve set the tone. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury note slipped to 4.11 percent, meaning borrowing costs are ticking down slightly. That move mostly reflects uncertainty. Investors now see only about a 46 percent chance the Fed will cut rates in December after central bank officials made it clear they are still worried about inflation. This leaves investors wrestling with a simple but tough question: will ongoing pressure to keep interest rates high make it harder for businesses that need to borrow, like homebuilders and smaller tech firms, to keep growing or hiring?

See which penny stocks with strong financials could still thrive, even if borrowing costs remain stubbornly high.

Top Movers

• Sandisk (SNDK) surged 4.61%.
• Sea (SE) climbed 3.48% following a Buy rating and a new buyback plan.
• Alphabet (GOOGL) rose 3.11% after a major analyst upgrade and increased optimism around Google Cloud.

Is Sea still a smart investment or just hype? Read our most popular narrative and get all the answers you need.

Top Losers

• XPeng (XPEV) dropped 10.32% despite strong Q3 earnings and raised sales guidance.
• Dell Technologies (DELL) slid 8.43% after a Morgan Stanley downgrade, citing hardware cycle risks.
• AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) fell 7.82% following a $23.9M follow-on equity offering.

Look past the noise – uncover the top narrative that explains what truly matters for Dell Technologies’ long-term success.

On The Radar

Earnings from heavyweight tech, retail, and cloud software names will give investors sharp reads on consumer and business trends.

• NVIDIA (NVDA): Q3 results on Wednesday will reveal the latest demand for AI chips and set the tone for the semiconductor sector.
• Walmart (WMT): Q3 earnings before the bell on Thursday highlight consumer strength, inflation pressures, and US retail momentum as the holiday season approaches.
• Intuit (INTU), Veeva Systems (VEEV), Ross Stores (ROST): Thursday’s after-market earnings will spotlight SaaS growth, small business trends, and off-price retail performance as the year comes to a close.
• Home Depot (HD): Q3 earnings Tuesday morning offer an early look at housing-related spending and big-ticket home improvement as rates move higher.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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