US stock futures edged lower on Monday as investors braced for a pivotal week of first-quarter earnings announcements, with over 180 S&P 500 companies set to report their figures. Noteworthy reports are expected from tech titans such as Apple, Amazon, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft, along with significant names like Berkshire Hathaway, Eli Lilly, and Visa. The first-quarter earnings landscape has been robust thus far, but a trend is emerging with companies adjusting their projections downward for the upcoming quarter and the full fiscal year, in anticipation of possible repercussions from intensifying global trade tensions. Although there remains uncertainty about whether the US and China have officially commenced trade talks, President Donald Trump has lately taken a more conciliatory tone, and China has granted tariff exemptions for certain US goods. In the previous week, the Dow increased by 2.48%, the S&P 500 climbed 4.59%, and the Nasdaq Composite leaped 6.73%, recovering much of the ground lost after Trump’s introduction of extensive 'reciprocal' tariffs earlier in the month.