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US stock futures surged early on Tuesday as investors took stock after a chaotic day on Wall Street and as trade tensions between the US and China continued to spiral.

Futures tied to the S&P 500 ( ES=F ) jumped about 1.4%, and those on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 ( NQ=F) rose 1.2%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures ( YM=F ) were up 1.8%, leading the major gauges higher.

Markets are weighing China's vow to "fight to the end" if the US continues to pursue what Beijing authorities described on Tuesday as "blackmail". The pledge followed Trump's threat to impose additional 50% tariffs on China beginning on Wednesday if the country did not scrap its plans for retaliatory duties.

Fears are for a major escalation of trade war between the world's biggest economies, in high focus after the latest fallout from Trump's fast-moving tariff plans led to a roller-coaster session on Monday . In the end, the Dow ( ^DJI ) sank 350 points, leading the way down, while the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) cemented a three-day percentage loss that rivaled episodes from sell-offs during the pandemic and 2008 financial crisis.

Meanwhile, administration officials continued to offer mixed messages: For instance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent White House hailed the start of a trade negotiation with Japan, while White House trade adviser Peter Navarro took to the Financial Times to say Trump's tariffs were "not a negotiation."

For his part, Trump attempted to suggest Monday that "both can be true," while confirming he was not considering pausing the tariffs before they go into full effect on Wednesday.

Read more: Live updates on Trump tariffs fallout

In any case, investors are still reeling from the fallout of the past several days, after Trump's announcement of "reciprocal" tariffs at the White House stunned in how far they went. The Nasdaq has entered into a bear market, while the S&P 500 is inching closer to one.

Some top names on Wall Street — from JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon to BlackRock CEO Larry Fink — have started warning about the effects of Trump's tariffs. Even Tesla CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk has offered gentle critiques over the past few days.