Dow Futures Dive as Trade Drama Returns

U.S. stocks are bracing for a lower open, with the focus returning to a U.S.-China trade war. The Trump administration last night released a list of $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that could be slapped with 10% tariffs, sending Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) futures almost 200 points below fair value and putting the Dow's win streak in jeopardy. Elsewhere, traders are watching Pfizer (PFE) after the company announced plans to split into three units, and keeping tabs on the NATO summit in Brussels. That's just a small taste of a busy news morning, however, as Wall Street has seemingly come back to life from its low-volume, post-holiday hangover.

Continue reading for more on today's market, including: 

• This rare volatility signal could be bullish for stocks, per Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White.
• 3 stocks hit by analyst downgrades.
• The pharma company with "ambitious goals."
• Plus, an Apple news round-up; upbeat earnings results; and a new TripAdvisor rating.

5 Things You Need to Know Today

1. The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) saw 756,583 call contracts traded on Tuesday, compared to 556,971 put contracts. The single-session equity put/call ratio jumped to 0.74, while the 21-day moving average edged up to 0.59.
2. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is in the headlines this morning. A Japanese watchdog is accusing the company of violating antitrust rules. Elsewhere, a former Apple employee has been charged with stealing a blueprint for a self-driving car. AAPL shares settled at $190.35 yesterday, about a month after hitting a record high of $194.20. After hitting that milestone, Apple's pullback was neatly contained by the 50-day moving average.
3. Turning to the earnings front, Fastenal Company (NASDAQ:FAST) is looking to toast pre-earnings bears, with the stock racing 7% higher in electronic trading. The construction supplier exceeded top- and bottom-line estimates for the second quarter, and raised its dividend. As of Tuesday's close at $49.53, FAST stock was down 9.4% year-to-date.
4. Travel site TripAdvisor Inc (NASDAQ:TRIP) is another pre-market winner, trading up 3.2%. Barclays upgraded the stock to "overweight" from "equal weight," and hiked its price target to $70 from $49. TRIP stock was already up 67.1% in 2018, though the $60 level -- the site of a late-2016 bear gap -- has capped its upside.
5. The producer price index (PPI) and weekly crude inventories are on the docket for today. New York Fed President John Williams will speak after the close. AngioDynamics (ANGO) and Delta Air Lines (DAL) will tell all in the earnings confessional.

Chinese Markets Hit By Tariff Fears; Trump Slams Germany

It was a lower finish in Asia today, after the U.S. proposed new tariffs on Chinese products. The Shanghai Composite slumped 1.8% to snap its three-day winning streak, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gave back 1.3%. Elsewhere in the region, Japan's Nikkei plunged 1.2%, and South Korea's Kospi shed 0.6%.

European markets are swimming in red ink at midday, with mining stocks suffering the most on the Chinese tariff news. Traders are also keeping a close eye on today's NATO summit, after U.S. President Donald Trump accused Germany of being "totally controlled by Russia." At last check, the German DAX is off 1.2%, while the French CAC 40 and London's FTSE 100 are both down 1.1%.