| Ticker | Status | Jurisdiction | Filing Date | CP Start | CP End | CP Loss | Deadline |
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| Ticker | Case Name | Status | CP Start | CP End | Deadline | Settlement Amt |
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| Ticker | Name | Date | Analyst Firm | Up/Down | Target ($) | Rating Change | Rating Current |
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(Editor’s note: The future prices of benchmark tracking ETFs, the earnings, and the headline were updated in the story.)
U.S. stock futures rose on Thursday after Wednesday’s advances. Futures of major benchmark indices were higher.
Investors await September’s job report, which is scheduled to be released today after the end of the record-long government shutdown last week.
According to the FOMC minutes, released Wednesday, Federal Reserve officials appear sharply divided on the future path of interest rates. There was a split among participants following their decision to lower the federal funds target range to 3.75%–4.00%.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.13% and the two-year bond was at 3.60%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 33.8% likelihood of the Federal Reserve cutting the current interest rates during its December meeting.
| Futures | Change (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | 0.44% |
| S&P 500 | 1.08% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 1.47% |
| Russell 2000 | 0.61% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, were higher in premarket on Thursday. The SPY was up 1.21% at $670.62, while the QQQ advanced 1.61% to $609.54, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Information technology, communication services, and materials stocks led the gains on Wednesday, while the energy and utilities sectors bucked the trend to close lower.
| Index | Performance (+/-) | Value |
| Nasdaq Composite | 0.59% | 22,564.23 |
| S&P 500 | 0.38% | 6,642.16 |
| Dow Jones | 0.10% | 46,138.77 |
| Russell 2000 | -0.036% | 2,347.89 |
BlackRock maintains a “pro-risk stance” focused on U.S. equities and the artificial intelligence (AI) theme, underpinned by the belief that a cooling labor market will allow the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates.
They characterize the current economic backdrop as a “no hiring, no firing” stasis, suggesting the labor market is softening enough to support rate cuts without deteriorating into a recession.
Despite recent volatility in tech stocks driven by debt concerns, BlackRock views the capital-intensive phase of the AI buildout as a “necessary step” rather than a warning sign.
Strong third-quarter earnings from dominant AI companies reinforce this conviction.
Following the end of the U.S. government shutdown, BlackRock is prioritizing the analysis of backlogged economic data to confirm its thesis that the economic environment remains supportive of risk assets.
See Also: How to Trade Futures
Here's what investors will be keeping an eye on Thursday;
Crude oil futures were trading higher in the early New York session by 0.78% to hover around $59.70 per barrel.
Gold Spot US Dollar fell 0.37% to hover around $4,062.86 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $4,381.6 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.04% lower at the 100.1840 level.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 0.31% higher at $91,662.15 per coin.
Asian markets closed higher on Thursday, except China’s CSI 300 index. India’s NIFTY 50, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, Japan's Nikkei 225, Australia's ASX 200, and South Korea's Kospi indices rose. European markets were mostly higher in early trade.
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