U.S. stock futures posted modest gains early Thursday, following mixed reactions to major technology earnings reports and the Federal Reserve’s latest rate announcement.
As of 5:36 P.M. (GMT+7), Dow Jones Industrial Average futures ticked up by 0.13%, or 65.00 points, to 49,080.50 points, while S&P 500 futures added by 0.23%, or 15.80 points, to 6,993.80 points. Nasdaq 100 futures also increased by 0.31%, or 81.80 points, to 26,104.60 points.
Shares of Meta Platforms jumped as much as 10% after the company published its quarterly revenue, surpassing market forecasts. However, it noted planned investments in artificial intelligence could push spending to $135 billion this year. Tesla shares also moved higher, rising about 2% after exceeding analysts’ projections in its latest quarterly results.
Conversely, Microsoft shares declined by more than 5%. Investors reacted to the company’s fiscal second-quarter cloud segment growth slowing, higher-than-expected capital expenditures and finance lease obligations.
Attention now turns to upcoming financial results from other major corporations. Apple is scheduled to report fiscal first-quarter earnings today, while Visa, Mastercard, Caterpillar, and Lockheed Martin are among other key names reporting. Besides earnings reports, investors are monitoring several economic indicators, including weekly jobless claims, durable goods orders, and wholesale inventory levels, for further insights into the U.S. economic outlook.
Market participants are also evaluating the Federal Reserve’s initial policy decision of 2026. The Fed maintained its interest rate target, observing signs of stability in the labor market. Chair Jerome Powell indicated future policy would be determined on a meeting-by-meeting basis. Futures markets suggest two potential quarter-point rate cuts by the end of the year, based on CME FedWatch data.
