US stocks trade lower as investors await retail earnings reports

U.S. equity futures traded lower early Tuesday as the busiest week for retail sector earnings kicks off in the morning, with giants Walmart and Home Depot reporting April-through-June results ahead of the opening bell.

In the afternoon, health care equipment maker Agilent Technologies, furniture manufacturer La-Z-Boy, doughnut seller Krispy Kreme and LED light bulb maker Cree will also announce earnings.

On Wednesday, expect earnings from Target, Lowe’s and TJX .

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Wall Street's benchmark S&P 500 hit a new high despite rising U.S. coronavirus infections.

Traders got "some positive sentiment" from Wall Street but were "paying close attention to the situation in Afghanistan," said Anderson Alves of ActivTrades in a report.

Landlocked Afghanistan's economy is tiny, but other governments were caught off guard by the speed of the collapse of its U.S.-allied leadership. Thousands of people tried to flee the country after the Taliban seized the capital, Kabul.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.3% to 4,479.71. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% to 35,625.40. The Nasdaq fell 29.14 points to 14,793.76.

Technology and health care stocks accounted for much of the gain in the S&P 500.

Sectors traditionally considered lower risk, including utilities and companies that make food and personal goods also helped lift the market. Those gains outweighed a pullback in banks, energy stocks and a swath of retailers and travel sector companies.

Analysts had expected U.S. economic growth to slow from its breakneck pace earlier this year, but the highly contagious delta variant has prompted even more caution from investors.

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Meanwhile, Asian stock markets declined Tuesday amid turmoil in Afghanistan and unease about China's economic outlook after weak July activity.

Investors looked ahead to a speech by Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell for an update on the health of the biggest global economy. Traders also were waiting for U.S. sales and factory data.

Shanghai, Hong Kong and South Korea declined while Tokyo gained.

Markets also were digesting news that Chinese factory output, consumer spending and investment grew slower in July than expected. The government blamed flooding in central China and controls on travel and business to fight outbreaks of the coronavirus's delta variant.

That led to a drop in oil prices Monday as traders adjusted forecasts of Chinese demand.

Beijing's policy of pursuing zero virus cases "points towards the risk of aggressive measures" that "may continue to put a cap on growth," said Yeap Jun Rong of IG in a report.

The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.5% to 3,500.43 while the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo gained 0.7% to 27,545.46. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong shed 0.7% to 26,002.66.

The Kospi in Seoul sank 0.8% to 3,145.14 while Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 declined 1.1% to 7,469.90.

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India's Sensex opened up less than 0.1% at 55,597.78. New Zealand, Singapore and Indonesia declined while Bangkok gained.

In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude rose 5 cents to $67.34 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Monday, the contract dropped $1.15 to $67.29. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 4 cents to $69.55 per barrel in London. It lost $1.08 to $69.51.

The dollar gained to 109.32 yen from Monday's 109.24. The euro declined to $1.1769 from $1.1776.