Stock Market 13 January 2026

U.S. stock index futures slipped in early trading Tuesday as investors awaited the consumer price index data and the initial batch of major bank earnings. The markets remain unsettled by the Justice Department’s probe involving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. S&P 500 futures dropped 0.1%, Nasdaq futures lost 0.3%, while Dow futures edged down roughly 0.1%. The CPI report arrives as investors wrestle with a fundamental question amid political turmoil: will the Fed stick to traditional rate-setting, or does this escalate into a fight that spills into policy? Reuters quoted investors noting that confidence in the Fed’s independence underpins the dollar’s safe-haven status and the trajectory of long-term borrowing costs.