Wall Street entered Tuesday in a state of cautious anticipation, with S&P 500 futures remaining nearly flat as investors braced for the latest consumer price index report. While the broader market enjoyed a significant rally during Monday’s session, fueled by falling oil prices and a recovery in tech shares, current sentiment has shifted toward a wait-and-see approach. Traders are looking for signs that inflation is cooling, specifically hoping for a deceleration in core costs linked to housing and diesel fuel.

Adding a layer of volatility to the technological landscape is a developing crisis at Nvidia. Despite the general market climb, shares of the chipmaking giant tumbled four percent following revelations regarding CEO Jensen Huang. The executive admitted to an extramarital affair with a woman whom U.S. intelligence officials identify as an agent for China’s Ministry of State Security. The company’s board has since launched an internal probe into whether Huang was targeted by foreign intelligence, though President Trump noted that Huang denies any knowledge of her espionage activities.

Across the globe, Asian markets reacted enthusiastically to the previous day’s momentum on Wall Street. South Korea’s Kospi saw such a dramatic surge that trading was temporarily halted after jumping five percent, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 also posted strong gains. This international optimism contrasts slightly with warnings from domestic policymakers, including Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee, who expressed ongoing concerns about affordability and potential demand overheating driven by massive investments in artificial intelligence data centers.

As the financial world awaits Tuesday’s inflation numbers, analysts note that annual comparisons will be missing due to gaps caused by the 2025 government shutdown. Without those year-over-year benchmarks, economists will rely heavily on monthly changes to determine if price pressures are truly easing or if the economy remains too hot for comfort. For now, the focus remains split between macroeconomic stability and the unfolding leadership drama at one of the world’s most influential tech companies.