MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stock Rally Poised To Stall As Investors Wait For Trump's 'big' Tax Plan

Earnings from Pepsi, Twitter and Procter & Gamble on tap premarket

U.S. stocks looked set for a muted open Wednesday, holding off from building on the prior day's milestone-setting rally, as investors waited for an announcement on the Trump administration's tax reform plan.

But a stream of earnings releases due premarket could provide some impetus, with PepsiCo Inc., Procter & Gamble Co. and Twitter among the prominent companies expected to report.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 28 points to 20,973, while those for the S&P 500 index slipped 0.75 points to 2,384.25. Futures for the Nasdaq-100 index rose 2 points to 5,550.25.

The subtle moves come after stocks on Tuesday moved sharply higher (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stocks-poised-to-build-on-rally-with-flood-of-earnings-ahead-2017-04-25), as investors welcomed upbeat earnings and the possibility of significant corporate tax cuts (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trumps-15-corporate-tax-rate-could-cost-the-government-2-trillion-2017-04-25).

The Nasdaq Composite jumped above 6,000 for the first time ever to close at a record high, while the Dow average gained 1.1%, and the S&P 500 index added 0.6%.

See:A big chunk of the Dow's gains have come from earnings (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/a-big-chunk-of-the-dows-gains-have-come-from-earnings-2017-04-25)

"Markets are excited to hear what Trump has to say on tax reform, giving him an opportunity to finally deliver on pro-growth policy, but conscious of having already failed miserably on health care and little to show for his first hundred days," analysts at Accendo Markets said in a note.

The Trump administration is due to reveal a "massive" tax package later on Wednesday that will deliver cuts bigger than "any tax cut ever," the president has said.

Trump will not present the tax announcement himself, but will leave it to Treasury Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Director Gary Cohn, according to media reports (http://thehill.com/policy/finance/330588-mnuchin-cohn-expected-to-roll-out-trump-tax-plan). The press briefing at the White House is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Read:Trump's tax reform could lift the stock-market to new heights (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trumps-tax-reform-could-lift-the-stock-market-to-new-heights-2017-04-26)

Trump has vowed to slash corporate taxes from 35% to 15%, but analysts note there have been few details given on how the cuts will be funded.

"The tax reform bill will still need Congress's approval to pass. If Trump is unable to get enough support, it will likely lead to substantial market disappointment likely to initiate a dollar and equity sell off," said Devata Tseng, technical analyst at FXPro, in a note.

The dollar traded mostly higher against other major currencies ahead of the announcement on Wednesday, with the ICE Dollar Index up 0.2% at 99.031.

A potential government shutdown this weekend was also on investors' minds on Wednesday. Some of those concerns, however, eased after Trump backed off on a demand for border-wall funding (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-backs-off-demand-for-immediate-border-wall-funding-2017-04-24), which was seen as an obstacle.

See:Should Wall Street fear a government shutdown? Here's how stocks fared in the past (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/should-wall-street-fear-a-government-shutdown-heres-how-stocks-fared-during-past-closures-2017-04-21)

Earnings season: The season continues in full swing, with a deluge of results hitting premarket. Shares of PepsiCo Inc.(PEP)slipped 0.8% even as earnings beat analyst forecast.

Anthem Inc.(ANTM) results also topped expectations, but shares were little changed ahead of the bell.

United Technologies Corp. (UTX) and Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) each climbed 0.8% after earnings.

Also on the premarket report docket are , Procter & Gamble Co.(PG) , Hershey Co.(HSY) , Twitter Inc.(TWTR) , Boeing Co.(BA) , Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc.(DPS) and Six Flags Entertainment Corp.(SIX) .

After the market closes, earnings from Amgen Inc.(AMGN) , Tractor Supply Co.(TSCO) and PayPal Holdings Inc.(PYPL) are on tap.

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.(CMG) rose 2% in Wednesday's premarket trade after the casual restaurant chain reported first-quarter earnings ahead of forecasts late Tuesday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chipotle-shares-rally-6-after-companys-earnings-beat-2017-04-25).

Arconic Inc. (ARNC) shares also rallied ahead of the bell, up 3.8% after the aerospace and car maker supplier's earnings out late Tuesday topped Wall Street estimates (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/arconic-shares-rally-as-quarterly-earnings-beat-street-view-2017-04-25).

Other markets:Stocks in Asia closed mainly higher (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asia-pacific-markets-continue-to-ride-wave-of-gains-2017-04-25), propelled by optimism over the prospect of a U.S. tax overhaul.

European markets were largely flat (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-struggle-to-hold-onto-20-month-high-ahead-of-trump-tax-unveiling-2017-04-26), after surging to historic highs following the first round of the French presidential election on Sunday. Centrist Emmanuel Macron came out on top and will battle against far-right Marine Le Pen in the second round on May 7 -- a vote Macron is expected to win.

Read:Emmanuel Macron: 5 things to know about the man poised to be France's president (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/emmanuel-macron-5-things-to-know-about-the-man-poised-to-be-frances-president-2017-04-24)

Oil prices (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-slip-again-as-us-supply-worries-resurface-2017-04-26-11033520) were lower ahead of the U.S. Energy Information Administration's supply data out later on Wednesday.

Metals were mixed, with gold prices up just 10 cents.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 26, 2017 06:54 ET (10:54 GMT)