Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures slip after tough week as Bessent dismisses sell-off

US stock futures faltered on Monday as comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added to investor worries ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve policy meeting.

S&P 500 futures (ES=F) dropped 0.2%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) fell roughly 0.4%. Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) traded 0.1% lower.

The gauges are set to open on the back foot after a sell-off that saw the S&P 500 (^GSPC) enter correction territory and the Dow book its worst weekly performance since March 2023. Markets have been buffeted by economic slowdown fears and uncertainty over Trump’s unpredictable tariff policy.

Bessent inflamed those worries on Sunday when he told NBC that he’s not worried about the recent slump in stocks, saying “corrections are healthy.” He added that there are “no guarantees” the US will avoid recession.

Wall Street is also bracing for the Federal Reserve’s two-day meeting starting Tuesday, where it is widely expected to stand pat on interest rates. Investors will look for any sign that Trump’s policies are changing the central bank’s views of the future for the economy.

Meanwhile, a monthly update on retail sales due for release on Monday should provide insight into how well consumers are faring. Economists expect sales to rise 0.6% in February, in a bounce-back from January’s 0.9% drop.

On the corporate front, Monday brings Nvidia’s (NVDA) annual GTC conference, a window into the prospects for AI spending and the impact of DeepSeek on the chipmaking giant’s dominance.

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