NextFin News - Prepared for U.S. investors ahead of the opening bell on Thursday.
Pre‑Market Performance
- U.S. index futures
- Nasdaq‑100 (NQ): 25,372, −10 pts (−0.04%).
- S&P 500 (ES): 6,961.8, +2.0 pts (+0.03%).
- Dow Jones (YM): 49,588, +54 pts (+0.11%).
- Europe
- FTSE 100: 10,827.51 (+0.20%).
- CAC 40: 8,635.50 (+0.89%).
- DAX: 25,284.03 (+0.43%).
- Commodities
- Brent crude ~ $71.2/bbl (+0.6%); WTI ~ $66.1/bbl (+0.6%), both hovering near seven‑month highs on U.S.–Iran tensions. investing.com
- Gold ~ $5,176/oz (−0.3%) as traders await U.S. data. uk.finance.yahoo.com
- Forex
- U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) ~ 96.78 (+0.1%). barchart.websol.barchart.com
- Rates
- U.S. 10‑year Treasury yield ~4.05% pre‑market. barrons.com
Macroeconomic Policy and Data
- GDP: Q4 2025 advance estimate rose 1.4% q/q annualized (vs. 4.4% in Q3). BEA slated the second estimate for March 13, 2026. Mixed contributions: consumer spending and investment up; government spending and exports down. bea.gov
- Inflation
- Labor market
- Weekly initial jobless claims due this morning (8:30 a.m. ET): consensus ~215K vs. prior 206K. A downside surprise could firm the dollar and pressure bullion; an upside miss would support risk‑off hedges. myfxbook.com
- Fed policy
- FOMC (Jan 27–28): target range held at 3.50%–3.75%; minutes signaled caution after three 2025 cuts (10–2 vote, two dissents favoring an additional 25 bp cut). economics.td.com
- Governor Waller this week called a March cut a “coin flip,” placing weight on incoming jobs data. marketwatch.com
Market take: A cooler CPI alongside a firm advance GDP suggests the Fed can stay patient. Claims near or below 215K would reinforce a “higher‑for‑longer” lean, supporting DXY and capping gold; a miss could do the opposite. Near‑term, tariffs and geopolitics are key cross‑currents for commodities, margins, and multiples.
Hot News
- U.S.–Iran talks keep oil elevated: A third round of nuclear discussions is set for today in Geneva, with crude near seven‑month highs on supply‑risk premium despite no actual disruption yet. investing.com
- Tariff reset and new surcharge: After the Supreme Court invalidated emergency‑power “reciprocal” tariffs, the Administration imposed a temporary 10% global import surcharge under Trade Act Section 122 (authority up to 15%, 150‑day limit), triggering legal and refund questions for prior duties. whitehouse.gov
- IMF outlook: The IMF described the U.S. economy as “buoyant” for 2026 but warned rising debt and tariff policy are key risks to the trajectory. apnews.com
U.S. Stock Focus
- Nvidia (NVDA) — Record quarter, AI demand still surging:
Revenue hit $68.1B in FQ4 (+73% y/y) with data‑center sales at $62.3B; the company guided next‑quarter revenue to $78B and unveiled its Rubin platform to cut inference costs. Shares were steady after hours as investors weighed sustainability of capex‑driven demand. nvidianews.nvidia.com
- Salesforce (CRM) — Beat, but guidance tempers enthusiasm:
Fiscal Q4 revenue $11.2B (+12% y/y) and non‑GAAP EPS $3.81 beat; FY27 revenue outlook of $45.8B–$46.2B (10%–11% growth) left shares softer pre‑market despite robust RPO and AI metrics (Agentforce ARR up sharply). investor.salesforce.com
- Nutanix (NTNX) — AI tie‑up pops the stock:
Shares jumped pre‑market after a multiyear partnership with AMD that includes a strategic investment and joint engineering for agentic‑AI infrastructure; the move followed solid quarterly results. barrons.com
- IonQ (IONQ) — Quantum earnings surprise:
Q4 revenue of $61.9M far topped estimates (~$40M) with management calling 2025 a strategic inflection; the company guided 2026 revenue to ~$235M, above consensus, lifting shares double‑digits pre‑market. barrons.com
- Celsius Holdings (CELH) — Strong Q4, stock surges:
Q4 revenue $721.6M and EPS $0.26 beat expectations; management highlighted ongoing share gains in energy drinks, sending shares sharply higher before the bell. barrons.com
- The Trade Desk (TTD) — Guidance spooks investors:
Despite an in‑line Q4, Q1 revenue and EBITDA guidance missed Street views as ad categories remain cautious; shares fell ~15% in extended/pre‑market trading. marketwatch.com
- Joby Aviation (JOBY) — Certification progress; ecosystem builds:
On its update and coverage today, Joby flagged substantial FAA stage‑4 progress toward TIA flight testing; separately, integration of air‑taxi services into ride‑hailing platforms continues to take shape for 2026 launches. aviationweek.com
- J.M. Smucker (SJM) — Beats and tightens outlook:
Q3 EPS $2.38 vs. $2.27 est. on revenue of $2.34B (slight beat); FY26 EPS guided to $8.75–$9.25. Shares indicated higher pre‑market. streetinsider.com
Risks to watch today: jobless claims vs. consensus (USD/gold sensitivity), headlines from Geneva on U.S.–Iran talks (oil risk premium), and tariff implementation details/industry exemptions (margin impacts for import‑reliant sectors).
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