NextFin News -
1) Pre-Market Performance
U.S. equity futures were mixed before the opening bell, with technology-linked contracts outperforming while blue-chip futures lagged. Nasdaq 100 futures rose 96.0 points, or 0.32%, to 29,839.0; S&P 500 futures edged up 4.5 points, or 0.06%, to 7,711.8; Dow Jones futures slipped 64.0 points, or 0.12%, to 52,156.0.
European equities traded lower across major benchmarks. The FTSE 100 fell 122.30 points, or 1.13%, to 10,693.84; France's CAC 40 declined 86.16 points, or 1.05%, to 8,100.77; Germany's DAX dropped 257.60 points, or 1.00%, to 25,459.11. Asian markets finished mostly higher, leaving U.S. futures leaning on technology strength rather than broad global equity momentum.
Commodities remained central to the market tone. Brent crude fell about 2.2% to $102.53 a barrel and WTI crude declined about 1.8% to $100.04, extending a third day of losses as supply-disruption fears eased despite fresh Saudi-Houthi tensions. Gold was steadier, with spot gold quoted around $4,346.65 an ounce, while U.S. gold futures traded near $4,385.70. The U.S. dollar index was subdued near 100.23 after retreating from recent highs.
2) Hot News
- Oil retreat supports growth sentiment: Crude prices extended losses as traders weighed alternative Middle East supply routes and the prospect of limited Saudi export disruptions. The pullback helped ease inflation-pressure concerns that had weighed on equities earlier in the week. Read more
- Triple-witching may increase volatility: Friday marks the quarterly simultaneous expiration of stock options, index options and futures contracts. The event can lift trading volume and amplify intraday swings, especially after a week dominated by sharp moves in oil, yields and mega-cap technology shares. Read more
- AI leadership remains a market driver: Nvidia's latest demand comments and broader AI infrastructure optimism kept semiconductor and data-center names in focus. Investors continued to separate companies tied to AI compute demand from more rate-sensitive and cyclical areas of the market. Read more
- Tokenized stock trading gains regulatory momentum: Crypto-linked equities drew attention after U.S. regulators granted conditional five-year exemptions creating a path for certain blockchain-based platforms to offer trading in tokenized U.S. stocks. The development added to recent interest in market-structure and digital-asset infrastructure names. Read more
3) U.S. Stock Focus
- Nvidia — Huang says chip sales could double next year: Shares were active pre-market after CEO Jensen Huang said the company expects to sell twice as many chips next year, citing broad AI investment across industries and countries. The remarks reinforced investor focus on AI accelerator demand and supported renewed buying interest in semiconductor leaders. Read more
- Advanced Micro Devices — Shares rise on reported chip-price increase: AMD gained about 1% to 1.4% in pre-market trading after reports said the company notified customers of a potential 10% price increase beginning in the fourth quarter. The reported move was linked to higher TSMC manufacturing costs and covered AI accelerators, graphics processors and motherboard chipsets. Read more
- CoreWeave — Convertible debt offering remains in focus: The Nvidia-backed cloud infrastructure company traded higher in early pre-market action after pressure tied to its $3 billion convertible note offering. CoreWeave also launched an at-the-market stock sale program for up to 35 million shares, underscoring the capital intensity of AI data-center expansion. Read more
- Bloom Energy — S&P 500 inclusion supports pre-market interest: Shares rose more than 2% in early pre-market trading as investors positioned ahead of the company's addition to the S&P 500, effective before the market opens Monday. The index inclusion could drive incremental passive-fund demand and increase visibility for the fuel-cell and power-systems company. Read more
- Xenon Pharmaceuticals — Trial enrollment pause triggers sharp selloff: Shares plunged roughly 25% to 26% in extended and pre-market trading after the company voluntarily paused new patient enrollment in psychiatry studies of azetukalner following neuropsychiatric adverse-event reports. The company also submitted an NDA to the FDA for azetukalner in focal seizures, but investors focused on the setback in depression and bipolar-disorder trials. Read more
- Nucor — Q3 guidance comes in below expectations: The steelmaker fell about 3% to 3.8% after hours after guiding third-quarter earnings to $5.55 to $5.65 per diluted share, below Wall Street expectations. While the outlook still implies strong year-over-year growth from $2.63 in the prior-year quarter, the market reacted to the gap versus consensus. Read more
- Steel Dynamics — Shares slip on below-consensus guidance: The company declined about 3.4% after hours after projecting third-quarter earnings of $5.34 to $5.38 per diluted share, below the consensus estimate near $5.60. Management still pointed to significantly higher profitability from steel operations, record shipments and stronger realized selling values, but expectations had been elevated. Read more
- Apple — iPhone launch and cost concerns remain in focus: Apple stayed on watch as the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max reached their scheduled on-sale date, with investors tracking early demand signals and carrier availability. Separately, reports of higher memory costs kept margin and pricing questions in focus after a product cycle already marked by price increases. Read more
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