Tuesday’s session in the S&P 500 index futures hit pause on the wild swings, logging the first sub-100 handle range and inside day since April Fools’ Day. With China-US tariffs still murky, resistance near 5500 and support around 5400 is starting to gel. 

Overnight, bulls butted heads with Monday’s close, breaking through in the early hours and finding firm footing above that level. Bears eventually clawed back, snapping support at unchanged to probe the overnight low near 5413, just shy of Monday’s floor. 

March’s import price index data landed at 8:30 AM ET, clocking in softer than expected at -0.1% versus 0.1% forecast. Bulls seized the moment, blasting the index to new highs shortly after the regular session opened. Resistance loomed under Monday’s peak at 5485, capping the surge, and bears took charge, steering the day into choppy waters. The afternoon tipped red, with bears pressing but bulls preventing new day lows from being made. 

Choppy action churned right to the close, wrapping the session in the lower half of the day’s range at 5428.25, down 12.50 handles. Wednesday is now set to bring March’s US retail sales data at 8:30 AM ET. 

Among the index’s top components, NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ: NVDA) snagged the biggest win, climbing $1.49, or 1.35%, to close at $112.20. 

That outpaced the cash index’s 0.28% dip by over one percent. 

Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) stumbled as the day’s biggest loser, shedding $9.96, or 1.87%, to close at $521.52.