Stock Futures Fall On Weaker China Data, Pullback For Oil

U.S. stock futures fell in early trading on Tuesday after downbeat China trade data and as investors began to take profits on gains for crude prices. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 81 points, or 0.5%, to 16,965, while S&P 500 index futures dropped 11.10 points, or 0.6%, to 1,988.25. Nasdaq 100 futures slid 27.75 points, or 0.7%, to 4,272.25. The S&P 500 and Dow industrials extended gains to a fifth day on Monday, driven by oil , which powered to its highest settlement of the year. However, investors appeared to be cashing in on some of those gains for U.S. oil on Tuesday, as prices fell 38 cents to $37.52. Meanwhile, fresh data from China showed exports in dollar terms fell for the eighth straight month, dropping 25.4% on an annual basis in February. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal expected a 15% slide.