U.S. stock futures have dropped in today’s pre-market following tensions between the United States and China. Market participants will also closely monitor second-quarter 2022 earnings results as 270 companies are slated to report their quarterly numbers.U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to arrive in Taiwan today and stay the night there. China has expressed strong reservations against Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.Chinese authority claims that Taiwan is part of its territorial integrity while the U.S. government has replied that the Biden administration will not bow down to China’s threat. Reuters reported that Chinese warplanes flew and warships remained close to the line dividing the Taiwan Strait.Pelosi would become the first House Speaker to visit Taiwan since Newt Gingrich in 1997. Following the U.S.-China geopolitical conflict, the yield on the benchmark 10-Year U.S. Treasury Note fell around 2.54% as investors opted for safe-haven government bonds.On the M&A front, Canada’s Toronto-Dominion Bank TD has decided to purchase U.S. based investment-bank Cowen Inc. COWN in an all-cash deal of $1.3 billion. The banking sector of Canada is dominated by six big brothers that control nearly 90% of the market share. The acquisition of Cowen is an effort by Toronto-Dominion Bank to expand business in the high-growth U.S. market.A plethora of companies will report earnings today. Oil refining and marketing bigwig Marathon Petroleum Corp. MPC has come up with quarterly earnings of $10.61 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9.17 per share. The company posted revenues of $54.24 billion, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 63.08%.Caterpillar Inc.CAT has reported quarterly earnings of $3.18 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3 per share. The heavy equipment maker posted revenues of $14.25 billion, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.34%.The company said that growing material and freight costs were partially offset by higher prices and increased sales.Global luxury hotel Chain giant Marriott International Inc.’s MAR quarterly earnings of $1.80 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.59 per share. Marriott recorded revenues of $5.34 for the quarter ended June 2022, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7.41%.Electronics manufacturing major Eaton Corporation plc ETN has registered quarterly earnings of $1.87 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.82 per share. The company posted revenues of $5.21 billion, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.29%.Major companies that will report after the closing bell today are restaurant retailer Starbucks Corp. SBUX, micro-chip developer Advanced Micro Devices Inc. AMD, Internet-based payment platform PayPal Holdings Inc. PYPL and crude oil producer Occidental Petroleum Corp. OXY. Zacks' Top Picks to Cash in on Electric Vehicles Big money has already been made in the Electric Vehicle (EV) industry. But, the EV revolution has not hit full throttle yet. There is a lot of money to be made as the next push for future technologies ramps up. Zacks’ Special Report reveals 5 picks investorsSee 5 EV Stocks With Extreme Upside Potential >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD): Free Stock Analysis Report Caterpillar Inc. (CAT): Free Stock Analysis Report Marriott International, Inc. (MAR): Free Stock Analysis Report Starbucks Corporation (SBUX): Free Stock Analysis Report Eaton Corporation, PLC (ETN): Free Stock Analysis Report Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY): Free Stock Analysis Report Toronto Dominion Bank The (TD): Free Stock Analysis Report Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC): Free Stock Analysis Report Cowen Group, Inc. (COWN): Free Stock Analysis Report PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research