• Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc. fell in late trading after reporting earnings, sending Nasdaq 100 futures tumbling. Asian equity benchmarks are set for modest declines.
• Futures for the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 dropped 0.8% while those for the S&P 500 slipped 0.4%. Equities edged lower in Australia, while contracts pointed to declines for Japan and Hong Kong.
• US benchmarks struggled for solid footing in Tuesday’s session as Wall Street digested a hotter-than-estimated reading on job openings, which left investors guessing what Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will say at a rate policy meeting Wednesday. The market further trimmed bets on a March Fed cut.