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Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on July 15, 2026.
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U.S. equity futures were little changed Wednesday night following a rally was driven by cooler inflation, lower Treasury yields and encouraging earnings reports.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked up 15 points, or 0.03%. S&P 500 futures added 0.05% and Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.11%.
In regular trading, the Dow advanced 150.91 points, or 0.3%, to end the day at 52,659.18. The broad market S&P gained 0.4%, finishing at 7,572.43, and the tech heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 0.6% to 26,269.23.
Asia-Pacific markets were set for a mixed open Thursday. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open lower, with the futures contract in Chicago at 67,890 against the index's last close of 68,751.51.
Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index were last at 24,829, higher than its Wednesday close of 24,681.1, while Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 saw futures last trading at 8,821 compared to its close of 8,841.1.
A softer-than-expected U.S. producer price index added to optimism that inflation is cooling, helping lift equities and providing some comfort to investors that the Federal Reserve will keep key interest rates on hold. Additionally, strong earnings from major financial firms reassured investors that earnings growth remains intact, despite easing inflation, while lower Treasury yields boosted demand for growth stocks, particularly mega-cap technology companies.
Michael Kantrowitz, chief investment strategist and head of portfolio strategy at Piper Sandler, speaking to CNBC's "Closing Bell: Overtime," emphasized the importance of rates staying sideways or declining for the market to broaden.
"In order for the market to broaden, I believe full stop that you need rates to either move sideways or decline," he said. "The best backdrop for the equity market in today's regime would be employment that stays more or less sluggish because I think that can help keep a lid on interest rates and prevent any rate hikes."
On Thursday, investors will be looking to retail sales data and jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET for further signs of whether the economy is slowing enough to keep inflation under control without tipping into a meaningful downturn.
Corporate earnings also remains a key driver. UnitedHealth will report its results before the bell and Netflix is scheduled to report its after the bell.
15 Min Ago
SK Hynix shares plunge 11% as Asia sees tech rout, tracking U.S. chip losses
Asian semiconductor stocks tumbled Thursday, as a sell-off in U.S. chipmakers spilled into the region, with SK Hynix continuing to see massive volatility since its U.S. listing last week.
Shares of SK Hynix tumbled over 11% in Seoul, reversing the previous session's 8% rally. The stock had logged its steepest one-day decline on Monday, as investors locked in profits amid growing worries over AI spending.
Domestic rival Samsung Electronics dropped more than 7%. Seoul Semiconductor fell more than 5%, LG Innotek lost about 1%, and Samsung SDI was down over 2%.
The weakness spread across the region. In Japan, AI-linked equipment makers Advantest fell more than 6%, SoftBank Group slid nearly 7%, Tokyo Electron lost over 5%, while Renesas Electronics declined 4%.
The losses track a sell-off in U.S. semiconductor shares overnight. Micron Technology sank 8%, Intel lost more than 4%, while Lam Research and Advanced Micro Devices each fell about 3%.
—Lee Ying Shan
35 Min Ago
Bank of Korea raises rates to 2.75% in first hike in over three years
South Korea's central bank hiked benchmark policy rates on Thursday, raising them for the first time since January 2023 as inflation in the country creeps up.
The Bank of Korea's 25 basis point hike that increased rates to 2.75% was in line with median estimates from economists polled by Reuters.
The hike comes amid rising consumer prices, with headline inflation in June rising to its highest since 2023 at 3.2%.
The BOK last month said that the payment of large performance bonuses recently seen at some major companies in the IT sector could spread into broader wage increases, translating to upward pressure on inflation.
—Lim Hui Jie
36 Min Ago
Shares of South Korean shipbuilders rise on optimism over U.S. naval buildout plans
Shares of South Korean shipbuilders rose Thursday, after President Donald Trump reportedly said that his administration will "probably" look at South Korean firms for the U.S. naval buildout.
Shares of South Korean shipbuilders like HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering rose over 3%. Hanwha Ocean was up 2.2% and Hyundai Heavy added 0.9%.
In March, South Korea passed a special bill to establish a state-run investment corporation to manage Seoul's planned $350 billion investment into the U.S. The investment comprises $150 billion toward shipbuilding, as well as a $200 billion for projects in strategic sectors that will be capped at $20 billion a year.
— Justina Lee
37 Min Ago
Australian miner BHP's shares fall over 2% on report of impending labor strike
Shares of BHP Group fell 2.8%, as reportedly hundreds of its workers look set to walk off the job at Port Hedland.
Workers and their elected representatives have failed to reach an agreement with the company over terms for a 4-year labor deal. The strike would be the most significant industrial action in three decades for the Western Australian mining industry, according to local media reports.
That comes after the world's largest company mining company reported its operational review for its fiscal year ended June.
"Cost control was particularly strong, with every asset expected to be within unit cost guidance despite headwinds from inflation, higher diesel prices and global supply chain disruptions," it said. BHP also announced a $900 million investment into the Western Australia Iron Ore industry.
Based in Australia, BHP is by market capitalization that produces iron ore, copper and metallurgical coal, according to its website.
— Justina Lee
2 Hours Ago
South Korea's Kospi falls over 5% as Asia-Pacific markets open lower
Asia-Pacific markets opened lower Thursday. South Korea's Kospi led losses in the region, declining more than 5%, while the small-cap Kosdaq fell 1.97%.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 2.4%, while the Topix declined 0.9%.
Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was flat at the open.
— Lee Ying Shan
2 Hours Ago
Asia-Pacific markets set to open mixed as investors assess U.S.-Iran conflict
Asia-Pacific markets were set for a mixed open Thursday as investors weighed signs of a potential diplomatic opening between the U.S. and Iran amid continuing hostilities.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran had expressed a willingness to negotiate, even as the U.S. military carried out more strikes against Iranian targets.
Tehran has also continued to project a readiness for further conflict, with defense analysts telling CNBC there was little indication that the latest escalation between the two countries was nearing a diplomatic resolution.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open lower, with the futures contract in Chicago at 67,890 against the index's last close of 68,751.51.
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Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index last traded at 24,829, higher than the index's Wednesday close of 24,681.1.
Futures for Australia's benchmark S&P/ASX 200 were last at 8,821 compared to its close of 8,841.1.
— Lee Ying Shan
4 Hours Ago
Stocks making the biggest moves after hours
These are the stocks making the biggest moves in extended trading:
- United Airlines — Shares fell more than 2% despite the airline topping earnings estimates. The company issued softer-than-expected guidance of $2.50 to $3.50 per share for the third quarter, versus FactSet estimates of $3.53 per share. United also said it expects $6 billion in added fuel costs.
- J.B. Hunt Transport Services — The stock jumped nearly 7% after the company reported earnings per share of $1.73, beating analyst estimates by 18 cents per share, according to LSEG. Revenue of $3.5 billion was in line with estimates of $3.25 billion. Management said demand for the intermodal service increased throughout the quarter.
— Tanaya Macheel
4 Hours Ago
Stock futures open flat
U.S. equity futures opened little changed on Wednesday night. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average ticked lower by 11 points, or 0.02%. S&P 500 futures added 0.01% and Nasdaq 100 futures were up 0.06%.
— Tanaya Macheel
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