UKX FTSE 100 Index

By Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch

SeaWorld, Cardinal Health, Newell Brands to report earnings

U.S. stock futures struggled on Monday, with investors focused on fresh rumblings on the trade front and another big batch of earnings headed their way.

What are the main benchmarks doing?

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 15 points to 25,395, while S&P 500 futures fell 2.5 points to 2,837. Nasdaq-100 futures were flat at 7,402.

The Dow closed out last week (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stock-futures-buoyed-by-apple-euphoria-but-trade-flat-ahead-of-jobs-report-2018-08-03) with a gain of less than 0.1%, while the S&P rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq Composite ended the week 1% higher.

Read: 6 factors to watch as the bull market pushes itself toward an endurance record (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/six-factors-to-watch-as-the-bull-market-pushes-itself-toward-an-endurance-record-2018-08-04)

What's driving markets?

Trade-war tensions were causing some wobbles for stock futures and international equities, as reflected in the Shanghai Composite's over 1% drop on Monday. A weekend editorial in China's Global Times newspaper, known for its nationalistic views, said the country was ready for a "protracted war" (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-has-lost-its-mind-over-trade-beijing-ready-for-long-fight-chinese-newspaper-2018-08-06) over trade and that Washington had "lost its mind" over the skirmish.

On Friday, China announced tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. products, in response to the U.S.'s planned 25% tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese imports. On Sunday, President Donald Trump tweeted (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1026075214227165185) that tariffs are "working big time."

Meanwhile, data showed German manufacturing orders plunged 4% in June (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/german-manufacturing-orders-plunged-in-june-2018-08-06-24854214), an indication that the global trade dispute is taking a bite out of corporate investments. The German DAX 30 index fell 0.4%.

The only U.S. economic item on the agenda is a July survey of consumer expectations, due for release at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.

Check out:MarketWatch's Economic Calendar (http://www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendars/economic)

Which stocks are in focus?

Tesla Inc.(TSLA) shares fell 1.3% in thin premarket trading. Shares rallied 17% last week, largely due to quarterly earnings (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/tesla-stock-rises-after-car-maker-reports-wider-quarterly-loss-but-beats-on-revenue-2018-08-01) that were released Thursday. CEO Elon Musk taunted short sellers, who are sitting on paper losses of nearly $2 billion, over Twitter early Sunday with a video meme of Adolf Hitler (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/elon-musk-dang-turns-out-even-hitler-was-shorting-tesla-stock-2018-08-05).

Read: The revenue-growth rate that helped fuel Tesla's rally relied on an apples-to-oranges comparison (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/teslas-revenue-growth-looks-better-than-it-should-thanks-to-a-disclosure-shortcut-2018-08-04)

(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/teslas-revenue-growth-looks-better-than-it-should-thanks-to-a-disclosure-shortcut-2018-08-04)Newell Brands Inc.(NWL),Cardinal Health Inc.(CAH), SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. (SEAS)and Tyson Foods Inc(TSN) are among the companies expected to report ahead of Monday's open. Etsy Inc.(ETSY), Zillow Group Inc.(ZG),Tenet Healthcare Corp.(THC), Hertz Global Holdings Inc.(HTZ)and Weight Watchers International Inc.(WTW)are among those due to report after the close.

(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/teslas-revenue-growth-looks-better-than-it-should-thanks-to-a-disclosure-shortcut-2018-08-04)Plus:Computer virus forces Taiwan Semiconductor to shut down factories over the weekend (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/taiwan-semiconductor-faces-revenue-shortfall-shipment-delays-after-virus-closes-factories-2018-08-05)

What are other markets doing?

Oil futures were up 0.6% to $68.88 a barrel, while gold futures (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gold-on-verge-of-longest-losing-skid-in-about-5-weeks-2018-07-31) slipped 0.3% to $1,219.60.

Read:Saudi Arabia expels Canadian ambassador over criticism about arrests (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/saudi-arabia-expels-canadian-ambassador-over-criticism-about-arrests-2018-08-06)

The U.S. dollar index inched up 0.2% to 95.295. European stocks (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-waver-as-trade-tensions-flare-up-again-2018-08-06) moved lower, led by a 0.6% drop for the FTSE 100 index (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ftse-100-fights-for-direction-as-investors-assess-trade-officials-no-deal-brexit-remark-2018-08-06), while Asian markets finished mixed (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-markets-bounce-back-led-by-gains-in-hong-kong-2018-08-05).

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 06, 2018 06:17 ET (10:17 GMT)

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