NextFin News -
1) Pre-Market Performance
U.S. equity futures pointed higher before the open, led by growth shares. Nasdaq 100 futures rose 191.0 points, or 0.62%, to 30,957.8; S&P 500 futures gained 25.8 points, or 0.33%, to 7,792.8; and Dow Jones futures advanced 165 points, or 0.32%, to 51,882.
European markets were also firmer. The FTSE 100 traded at 10,704.73, up 24.74 points, or 0.23%; France's CAC 40 was at 8,098.73, up 17.30 points, or 0.21%; and Germany's DAX led with a 189.11-point, or 0.75%, gain to 25,455.64.
In commodities and currencies, oil softened as traders weighed Middle East truce hopes against supply risks: Brent crude was down $1.47, or 1.4%, to $105.11, while WTI crude fell $2.00, or 2.1%, to $92.61. Spot gold eased 0.1% to $4,274.90 an ounce, while U.S. gold futures edged 0.3% higher to $4,310.30. The U.S. Dollar Index held near a two-month high around 101.27, up about 0.14%, keeping pressure on dollar-priced commodities.
2) Hot News
- Oil retreats as diplomacy offsets supply fears. Crude prices pulled back after a volatile week, with traders weighing possible U.S.-Iran truce progress against Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and continuing concerns around Middle East energy infrastructure. The decline helped ease one of the main pressures on equity sentiment heading into the open. Read more
- Gold heads for a weekly loss as dollar and yields stay elevated. Bullion remained under pressure as the greenback strengthened and markets continued to price in a higher-for-longer U.S. rate path. Spot gold was down more than 2% for the week, with higher Treasury yields raising the opportunity cost of holding the metal. Read more
- Bond-market pressure remains a key equity overhang. The dollar held near a two-month high as Treasury yields stayed elevated following a sharp bond-market selloff. Rate-sensitive growth stocks remain exposed to further yield volatility even as index futures recovered before the open. Read more
- AI infrastructure financing stays in focus. Investor attention remains fixed on the financing and execution risk behind large AI data-center projects after Oracle's force-majeure notice related to a New Mexico campus and Akamai's large Anthropic cloud agreement. The contrast highlights strong AI compute demand but also rising scrutiny over power supply, permitting and capital intensity. Read more
3) U.S. Stock Focus
- Akamai Technologies — $11.6 billion Anthropic cloud deal sends shares sharply higher. Akamai announced a seven-year, $11.6 billion cloud-services commitment with Anthropic, with the relationship potentially expanding by another $9 billion. The company also issued Anthropic a warrant tied to up to about 5% of Akamai's common stock; shares were indicated more than 20% higher in pre-market trading. Read more
- Costco Wholesale — Q4 earnings beat as member demand remains resilient. Costco reported fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $2.998 billion, or $6.75 per diluted share, up from $2.610 billion, or $5.87, a year earlier. Quarterly net sales rose 11.2% to $93.9 billion, while adjusted comparable sales increased 6.7%; shares were modestly higher after hours. Read more
- Oracle — Project Jupiter notice highlights AI data-center execution risk. Oracle issued a force-majeure notice tied to the 2.45-gigawatt Project Jupiter data-center campus in New Mexico, seeking protection if the facility misses its planned 2028 operational timeline. Reuters reported Oracle shares were down about 3.5% and Blue Owl was down about 3.7% in reaction, as investors reassessed AI infrastructure financing risk. Read more
- Eaton — €810 million COL Group acquisition targets data-center and utility demand. Eaton agreed to acquire Italy-based COL Group for an enterprise value of €810 million, expanding its medium-voltage power distribution, grid automation and modular power systems capabilities in Europe. COL Group has forecast €250 million in 2027 sales, and Eaton was indicated higher in pre-market trading. Read more
- Merck — FDA approves WELIREG plus LENVIMA kidney-cancer regimen. Merck and Eisai said the FDA approved WELIREG plus LENVIMA for certain previously treated adults with advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma. The Phase 3 LITESPARK-011 trial showed median progression-free survival of 14.6 months versus 10.6 months for cabozantinib, with a 26% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death. Read more
- AstraZeneca — IMFINZI combination gets U.S. Priority Review. AstraZeneca said the FDA accepted and granted Priority Review to its supplemental biologics license application for IMFINZI plus enfortumab vedotin in certain patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The expected FDA action date is in the fourth quarter of 2026, based on Phase 3 VOLGA trial results showing meaningful event-free and overall-survival improvements. Read more
- Atlas Energy Solutions — AI power-infrastructure agreements add capacity visibility. Atlas said two subsidiaries signed cost-reimbursement agreements with a leading frontier AI lab to support long-lead equipment purchases for data-center power projects. The agreements include support for an incremental 283 megawatts of Caterpillar power-generation equipment, plus a separate purchase agreement for 328 megawatts of generating capacity for 2027 deliveries. Read more
- Fate Therapeutics — $15 million CIRM grant supports lupus-nephritis CAR-T trial. Fate Therapeutics received a $15.0 million California Institute for Regenerative Medicine CLIN2 grant to advance RECLAIM-LN, its Phase 2 potentially registrational trial of FT819 in refractory moderate-to-severe lupus nephritis. The trial is expected to enroll about 53 patients, with complete renal response at Week 26 as the primary endpoint. Read more
- Edible Garden — Walmart awards third fresh-herb distribution center. Edible Garden said Walmart awarded the company a third distribution center for fresh herb products, expanding access across additional stores in the Eastern Midwest. The award builds on two prior distribution-center wins and supports a broader push to improve fulfillment efficiency and scale its retail footprint. Read more
Overall, the pre-market tone is constructive, with U.S. futures and European equities firmer as oil cools. Still, elevated yields, a stronger dollar and rising scrutiny of AI infrastructure financing leave the session vulnerable to renewed volatility in growth and rate-sensitive shares.
Explore more exclusive insights at nextfin.ai.
