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Pre-Market Performance
U.S. equity-index futures were mixed before the open, with the technology complex lagging while blue chips held firmer. Nasdaq 100 futures traded at 29,816.3, down 120.75 points or 0.40%. S&P 500 futures were at 7,583.3, down 5.5 points or 0.07%. Dow futures rose to 52,824, up 63 points or 0.12%.
European markets were narrowly mixed. The FTSE 100 was at 10,473.59, up 1.14 points or 0.01%, after trading between 10,465.91 and 10,506.13. France’s CAC 40 was at 8,322.01, down 4.61 points or 0.06%. Germany’s DAX stood at 25,105.74, down 12.53 points or 0.05%.
In commodities, oil softened as traders monitored the Iran conflict and the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude fell 0.5% to $75.94 per barrel, while WTI crude shed 0.5% to $71.71 per barrel. Gold remained a focus after recent swings tied to the dollar and rate expectations, with the metal recently trading around the low $4,000 area per ounce. The U.S. dollar index was recently near 100.86, the euro traded around $1.1432, and the dollar eased to about 161.71 yen.
Hot News
- Global stocks rise as oil eases; Iran risk keeps energy volatile: World shares mostly rose as technology-related buying supported markets while crude prices slipped amid ongoing headlines tied to U.S.-Iran attacks and constrained tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Asian markets were broadly firmer, with Japan’s Nikkei up 1.2% and South Korea’s Kospi up 2.5%. AP
- AI and memory-chip trade remains central: Semiconductor shares led recent gains, with Micron, AMD, Marvell and ON Semiconductor reporting notable jumps amid renewed enthusiasm for AI memory demand and SK Hynix’s U.S. market debut. AP
- European session stays cautious: European benchmarks showed limited direction, with the FTSE 100 slightly positive while the CAC 40 and DAX slipped, reflecting investor caution ahead of the U.S. open.
U.S. Stock Focus
- SK Hynix — Nasdaq debut puts AI memory demand in focus: SK Hynix is expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq, giving U.S. investors direct exposure to one of the world’s largest memory-chip makers as demand for high-bandwidth memory for AI accelerators outstrips supply. AP
- Micron Technology — U.S. investment plan expands: Micron said it would lift planned U.S. investments to more than $250 billion through 2035 and separately commit up to $3 billion to strengthen the domestic semiconductor supply chain; the stock jumped 4.5% on the news. Investing.com
- Meta Platforms — In-house AI chip plan accelerates: Meta plans to start manufacturing its in-house AI chip, code-named Iris, in September as part of a program to boost computing capacity to 14 gigawatts next year and to roll out chips regularly through 2027. Reuters via Investing.com
- Apple — PrismML talks highlight on-device AI push: Apple is reportedly in talks with PrismML to explore running much larger AI models directly on iPhones, following PrismML’s reported compression of Alibaba’s 27-billion-parameter Qwen 3.6 model to run locally on an iPhone 17 Pro. Investing.com
- Starbucks — AI tools may reduce reliance on software vendors: Starbucks is developing internal AI-assisted tools that could replace some applications it currently buys from vendors including Microsoft and IBM, including inventory and maintenance-management alternatives. Fortune
- Applied Materials — CEO comments support chip-equipment sentiment: Applied Materials shares were bid higher after CEO Gary Dickerson said chipmakers are providing equipment-demand visibility stretching two years or more into the future, reinforcing expectations for a multi-year semiconductor capital-spending cycle. Investing.com
- Delta Air Lines — June-quarter earnings in focus: Delta will discuss its second-quarter 2026 results in a 10:00 a.m. ET webcast; investors are watching amid elevated fuel-price volatility and strong summer travel demand. Delta Air Lines
- Gloo Holdings — Share offering weighs on stock: Gloo priced a public offering of 7 million Class A shares at $3.25 each, with expected gross proceeds of about $22.75 million before expenses and an underwriter option for up to 1.05 million additional shares; the offering is expected to close on July 10, 2026. Investing.com
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