US futures tumble as recession fears grip investors

US stock index futures tumbled on Monday, with those tied to the Nasdaq falling nearly 4 per cent, as fears of the United States slipping into a recession rippled through global markets.

Stock markets from Asia to Europe took a beating and bond yields slid as investors rushed to safe-haven assets and investors bet the US Federal Reserve would need to cut interest rates quickly to spur growth.

All megacap and growth stocks, the main drivers for the indexes hitting record highs earlier this year, fell sharply in premarket trading.

Apple Inc slumped 7.3 per cent after Berkshire Hathaway slashed its stake in the iPhone maker by almost 50 per cent, suggesting that the billionaire investor is growing wary about the broader US economy or stock market valuations that have gotten too high.

Nvidia fell 6.8 per cent after reports of a delay in the launch of its upcoming artificial-intelligence chips due to design flaws.

At 4:33 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were down 613 points, or 1.54 per cent, S&P 500 e-minis were down 117.5 points, or 2.19 per cent, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 644.75 points, or 3.47 per cent.

A weak jobs report and shrinking manufacturing activity in the world's largest economy, coupled with dismal forecast from the big technology firms, pushed the Nasdaq 100 and Nasdaq Composite into a correction last week.

The weak jobs data also triggered what is known as the "Sahm Rule," seen by many as a historically accurate recession indicator.

The data prompted traders to assign a 91.5 per cent probability that the US central bank will cut the benchmark rates by 50 basis points in the September meeting and see year-end rates at 4-4.25 per cent from the current 5.25 per cent-5.50 per cent, according to CME's FedWatch Tool.

Big Wall Street brokerages also revised their Fed rate projections for 2024 to show greater policy easing by the central bank.

"I am reluctant to believe the Fed would start the easing process with a 50 bps cut, but if the next seven weeks of data are consistent with this week's, the Fed should be aggressive," said Ronald Temple, chief market strategist at Lazard.

A slew of Fed officials will be speaking on the economy and monetary policy through the week and any indication on the interest rate cuts could soothe the frayed nerves of investors.

Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee is scheduled for 8:30 am ET and San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly after the bell.

Futures tracking small-cap index Rusell 2000 dipped 3.7 per cent.

The CBOE Volatility index, also known as Wall Street's "fear gauge," breached its long-term average level of 20 points last week and was currently at 35.19, highest since May 2022.

Crypto-linked stocks fell after Bitcoin hit its lowest in five months. Coinbase Global was down 9.9 per cent, US-listed shares of Bitfarms fell 10.1 per cent, Microstrategy slid 12.8 per cent and Riot Platforms was down 9.8 per cent.