US Equity Futures Mostly Lower Pre-Bell as Trump Unveils $8 Billion Plan to Help US Farmers Offset Diesel Costs

07:55 AM EDT, 10/20/2026 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were mostly lower pre-bell Tuesday as President Donald Trump unveiled an $8 billion plan to help US farmers with soaring diesel costs. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.1% higher, S&P 500 futures were down 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.6% lower. The US Department of Agriculture will launch a "harvest fuel relief program" that will provide farmers with $8 billion in support to offset diesel costs during the harvest season, Trump said in a midterm election campaign in Kansas, multiple media outlets reported. Traders digested the latest round of corporate earnings, with GE Aerospace (GE) and RTX (RTX) posting higher Q3 adjusted earnings and revenue. Netflix (NFLX) is expected to report its Q3 earnings after the market closes. Analysts polled by FactSet expect earnings of $0.82 per share on revenue of $12.87 billion. Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 1.9% at $111.66 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 2.5% higher at $101.02 per barrel. Housing starts for September, slated for 8:30 am ET, are expected at 1.305 million units annually, up from 1.275 million, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Pending home sales for September, slated for 10 am ET, are seen dropping 0.5% after a gain of 0.3% in the prior month.