Stock futures edged higher Thursday as oil prices declined and traders awaited more inflation data. Wall Street also weighed a slew of fresh earnings reports.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 102 points, or 0.2%. S&P 500 futures were up 0.2%, while Nasdaq-100 futures gained 0.1%.
Brent crude futures shed 2% to trade at $87.17 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate futures slid 2.2% to $81.41 per barrel. The moves come as traders weighed falling oil demand while the U.S.-Iran war continues.
Wall Street will get another look at U.S. inflation on Thursday with the July reading of the U.S. producer price index — which gauges what wholesalers pay for raw goods and materials — set for release at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect an increase of 0.2% from the prior month.
The PPI report comes a day after an in-line reading on the consumer price index.
CPI for July increased by 0.1% month over month, matching expectations. The tame report gave the S&P 500 a boost, with the benchmark closing higher for the first time in three sessions. The report led to traders paring expectations for a rate hike in September.
“Still, the odds favor a rate increase in either October or December, after monetary policy officials take time to gauge the temperature on both sides of the central bank’s mandate,” said José Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers.
Across the Atlantic, Europe’s Stoxx 600 was 0.2% higher. In Asia, markets ended mixed. Kospi rose 3.6% to enter a bull market. Mainland China’s CSI 300 declined 0.57%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 1.16%. Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.23%.
Cisco Systems, Cerebras and Coherent all moved lower in premarket trading after earnings updates overnight. Cerebras plummeted 17.4% ahead of the opening bell, while Cisco was down 5.9%. Coherent was 5.1% lower.
Here’s the latest ahead of the opening bell on Wall Street
- Stock futures edged higher early Thursday. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 99 points, or 0.18%. S&P 500 futures were up 0.14%, while Nasdaq-100 futures were just above the flatline.
- Cisco Systems, Cerebras and Coherent all moved lower in pre-market trading after earnings updates overnight.
- Investors will be monitoring the July reading of the U.S. producer price index, which gauges what wholesalers pay for raw goods and materials. It is set for release at 8:30 a.m. ET.
- Anthropic could go public as soon as October, with its investors targeting a record valuation of $2 trillion, according to the Financial Times.
— Joseph Wilkins
Treasury yields inch lower
Treasury yields edged lower as traders parsed inflation data for July that matched expectations and showed price increases may have continued to cool.
The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note — the key benchmark for pricing mortgages, auto loans and credit card debt — was 1 basis point lower at 4.6704%.
The 2-year Treasury note yield, which more closely tracks expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate policy, was off more than 2 basis points at 4.1738%. The longer-dated 30-year Treasury bond yield held steady at 5.2371%.
— Joseph Wilkins
Maersk shares jump 7% after shipping giant smashes profit estimates and hikes outlook
Danish shipping giant Maersk on Thursday hiked its 2026 earnings guidance for the second time this year, as global trade movements remain stymied by the Strait of Hormuz blockade.
Shares of the company surged 7% shortly after the opening bell.
Maersk, widely regarded as a barometer of global trade, reported preliminary underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $3 billion for April to June. That’s well above the $2.04 billion expected by analysts in an LSEG-compiled consensus.
European markets open Thursday’s session in the green
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was up 0.15% shortly after 8:10 a.m. in London (3:10 a.m. E.T.), as most regional sectors moved higher and the continent’s main bourses notched early gains.
European banks were up 0.8%, with travel and leisure, household goods and retail all advancing more than 0.4%.
Meanwhile, Germany’s DAX was up 0.39%, the Italian FTSE MIB added 0.37%, and the French CAC 40 gained 0.23%. But the U.K.’s FTSE 100 retreated in early trade, moving 0.11% lower.
—Hugh Leask
Kospi soars as Asia-Pacific markets end mixed
Asia-Pacific markets ended mixed Thursday. Kospi rose 3.6% to end at 6,813.34, while the small-cap Kosdaq index added 0.29% to close at 861.37.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 1.16% to 68,308.59, while the Topix ended 0.89% higher at 4,176.04
Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.23% to 9,188.5.
Mainland China’s CSI 300 declined 0.57% to 4,663.95.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index was down 0.38% as of its final hour of trade.
— Lee Ying Shan
Anthropic investors eye record $2 trillion IPO: FT
The Financial Times reported Wednesday morning that Anthropic investors expect the company’s valuation to exceed $2 trillion when it makes its stock market debut.
Anthropic could go public as soon as October, with its investors targeting a record valuation of $2 trillion, according to the Financial Times.
The AI start-up is reportedly targeting a listing this year, but has not officially set a date for an IPO.
Citing half a dozen investors in the company, the FT said Anthropic’s surging revenues meant it would be able to more than double its current valuation by the autumn.
A $2 trillion float would give the company the largest IPO in history, surpassing SpaceX, which went public at a valuation of £1.77 trillion in June. SpaceX shares have since seen volatile trading, dropping substantially after a post-IPO rally and closing above their IPO price for the first time in weeks on Monday.
— Chloe Taylor
U.K. economy grew 0.4% in second quarter with surprise jump in business investment
Business investment in the U.K. jumped 1.7% in the second quarter, beating the 0.5% drop expected by Reuters, as GDP rose in the three months to the end of June.
Real GDP increased 0.4% in the second quarter, down from 0.6% in the previous quarter, but in line with expectations, the U.K.’s Office for National Statistics said Thursday. Monthly GDP was up 0.3%, following no growth in May.
Within gross fixed capital formation — which tracks national investment in productive assets — the surprise 1.7% jump in business investment was fueled by IT, communications, machinery and other hardware investment, the ONS said.
Business investment is now estimated to be 0.8% higher than the same quarter a year ago.
Economists and strategists said second-quarter strength was driven largely by temporary factors, including unusually warm weather and the FIFA World Cup.
Suren Thiru, chief economist at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, warned of a “painful deceleration” in the third quarter, adding that softer economic activity means the chances of a Bank of England rate hike in September remain “slim.”
“Overall, economic activity in the first half of the year has proven more resilient than many expected,” said David Smith, portfolio manager at Henderson High Income. “However, history suggests some caution is warranted, as growth has tended to lose momentum in the second half of the year amid uncertainty ahead of the Budget.”
—Hugh Leask
European markets expected to open Thursday’s session in the green
Stoxx 50 futures were 0.39% higher ahead of the Thursday’s opening bell, with the continent’s main bourses expected to start the session in the green.
The French CAC 40 led the way, up 0.34% ahead of the market open, with Germany’s DAX set to start the day up 0.28%. The Italian FTSE MIB was expected to open up 0.33%, and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 seen opening 0.29% higher.
—Hugh Leask
Asian chip stocks climb as AI enthusiasm returns
Asian semiconductor stocks rallied Thursday, extending a rebound in the region’s technology sector as easing concerns over U.S. rate hikes and renewed optimism around artificial intelligence spending lifted sentiment.
In South Korea, memory-chip heavyweight SK Hynix jumped more than 7%, while Samsung Electronics gained about 5.7%. Other semiconductor-related names also advanced, with LG Innotek up 4.3% and Seoul Semiconductor gaining 1.8%. The moves build on a sharp recovery in Korean chipmakers after a bruising sell-off in recent weeks.
Japanese semiconductor stocks also climbed. Chip-testing equipment maker Advantest rose 4.9%, while Tokyo Electron gained about 3.2%. Disco surged more than 6%, Lasertec added about 5.1% while Kioxia jumped over 7%.
Taiwan’s TSMC edged up 0.62%.
—Lee Ying Shan
Samsonite shares jump 7% after luggage maker agrees to acquire BÉIS
Shares of Samsonite Group gained 7.2% on Thursday after the luggage maker announced it had agreed to acquire an 85% stake in BÉIS, a U.S.-based lifestyle and travel brand, for $178.5 million.
Founded in 2018, BÉIS targets younger, predominantly female consumers and has expanded into lifestyle bag categories. The brand generated roughly $210 million in net sales in 2025.
Samsonite’s latest acquisition comes as the Hong Kong-listed luggage maker prepares for a U.S. dual listing.
—Jenny Lee
Oil rises on worries over supply disruptions as spill near Oman worsens
Oil rose Thursday as recent deadly attacks on vessels in the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea keep markets jittery, while a spill near Oman continues to spread.
Futures for international benchmark Brent crude for October delivery gained 1.01% to $88.09 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for September advanced 1.15% to $82.31 per barrel.
Oman’s coastline has reportedly started being affected by a massive oil spill caused by a leaking tanker that ran aground June 30 carrying an estimated 800,000 barrels of Russian oil and is under international sanctions, according to Reuters. It’s leaking near a nature reserve that’s home to wildlife including Arabian Sea humpback whales and Socotra cormorants, Reuters reported.
—Justina Lee
Tencent, Foxconn shares fall after second-quarter results
Shares of Tencent Holdings fell 3%, while Foxconn dropped 2.8% following the release of their second-quarter results Wednesday.
Tencent’s revenue rose 11% from a year earlier to 204.78 billion Chinese yuan ($30.36 billion), while net profit attributable to shareholders edged up 0.7% to 56 billion yuan.
Foxconn reported a 41% jump in second-quarter revenue to $2.53 trillion New Taiwan dollars, while operating profit rose 68% to NT$94.8 billion.
— Jenny Lee
South Korea stocks enter bull market as AI trade roars back
South Korean stocks rallied Thursday, lifting the benchmark Kospi into a technical bull market as a global revival in the AI trade fuels a sharp recovery after last month’s historic sell-off.
The Kospi jumped over 4% in early trade, taking its rebound from its July 30 low to roughly 23%, data from LSEG showed.
Index heavyweights Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix led the gains, with the chip giants rising over 4% and 7%, respectively.
—Lee Ying Shan
South Korea’s Kospi rises over 4%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gains more than 1%
Asia-Pacific markets opened largely in the green on Thursday. South Korea’s Kospi rose 4%, while the small-cap Kosdaq added 0.92%.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 1.5%, and the Topix advanced 0.99%.
Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.12%.
— Lee Ying Shan
Japan’s Nikkei 225 is set to open higher with focus on producer inflation data
Japan stocks were set to open higher, with focus on the country’s wholesale inflation data.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 Chicago futures contract was trading at 68,585 and its Osaka counterpart was last at 68,550 compared with the index’s previous close of 67,524.06.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures last traded at 25,320, below the benchmark’s close of 25,440.17.
Futures for Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 last traded at 9,128, compared with the index’s Wednesday close of 9,209.4.
Investors also await U.S. wholesale inflation data after consumer inflation came in line with estimates.
The July reading of the U.S. producer price index, which gauges what wholesalers pay for raw goods and materials, is set for release Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect an increase of 0.2% from the prior month.
— Lee Ying Shan
Cerebras, Coherent among the stocks making big moves after the bell
Coherent — The photonics company lost almost 3% in extended trading after adjusted gross margin for the fourth quarter was roughly in line with estimates. Non-GAAP gross margin was 40.2%, while the StreetAccount consensus estimate anticipated 40%. Guidance for first quarter earnings and revenue surpassed analysts’ expectations.
Cerebras Systems – Shares of the artificial intelligence chip manufacturer tumbled 14%. Revenue in the second quarter came in at $180 million, versus the $194 million LSEG consensus estimate.
Cisco Systems – Shares fell 3%. Adjusted gross margin for the fourth quarter only narrowly beat estimates, coming in at 66.3% versus the StreetAccount consensus call for 66%.
— Fred Imbert
