US stock futures tick down after Wall St slips on regional bank worries

U.S. stock index futures edged down on Thursday evening after Wall Street ended lower on concerns about the health of regional banks, while U.S.-China tensions and an ongoing government shutdown further dampened investor sentiment.

S&P 500 Futures inched 0.2% lower to 6,654.50 points, while Nasdaq 100 Futures also fell 0.2% to 24,778.50 points by 20:23 ET (00:10 GMT). Dow Jones Futures traded 0.1% lower at 46,097.0 points.

Wall St slips on regional bank worries

Wall Street closed lower in regular trading. The S&P 500 declined 0.6% and the NASDAQ Composite fell 0.5%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 0.7%.

Regional bank shares tumbled earlier in the session after Zions Bancorporation (NASDAQ:ZION) and Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL) disclosed loan losses tied to potential fraud, reviving fears of weak credit oversight across smaller lenders.

Zions said it would write off about $50 million after uncovering “misrepresentations and contractual defaults” on commercial loans via its California Bank & Trust unit. Western Alliance said it was pursuing legal action against a borrower over allegedly fraudulent collateral.

Zions fell more than 13%, and Western Alliance lost nearly 10%, dragging the KBW Regional Banking index down about 6%.

Broader market sentiment was also pressured by geopolitical and political headwinds.

Investors remained wary of worsening U.S.–China trade tensions, as Trump has announced plans to impose an additional 100% tariff on all imports from China starting next month in response to Beijing’s restrictions on rare earth shipments.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government shutdown, now in its third week, continued to weigh on confidence, disrupting economic data releases and raising concerns about near-term growth.

Corporate results continue to flow

Chip-related optimism following Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) (NYSE:TSM) upbeat results helped lift some large-cap tech names earlier in the day, but weakness in industrials and financials offset those gains.

JB Hunt (NASDAQ:JBHT) shares jumped over 20% after posting solid quarterly results.

Despite earlier strength from robust bank earnings this week, Thursday’s rout in regional lenders erased much of those gains.

Shares of drugmakers Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) fell after President Donald Trump suggested much lower prices for their obesity drugs.