U.S. stock futures trended higher early Thursday, as investors focused on the September quarter earnings season and looked beyond the escalating trade tensions with China and the government shutdown at home. Futures on the Nasdaq 100 (NDX), the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), and the S&P 500 Index (SPX) were up 0.40%, 0.18%, and 0.23%, respectively, at 4:57 a.m. EST on October 16.
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In Wednesday’s regular trading session, major stock indices were choppy. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite closed higher by 0.4% and 0.66%, respectively, while the Dow Jones was down 0.04%.
Looking ahead, investors will focus today on earnings reports from Charles Schwab (SCHW), KeyCorp (KEY), and Interactive Brokers (IBKR). Notably, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM) reported a 39% jump in its Q3 earnings, driven by robust demand for its artificial intelligence (AI) chips.
In Thursday’s pre-market trading, Salesforce (CRM) stock was up 4% after the company announced encouraging financial targets. In contrast, Hewlett Packard (HPE) stock was down 9.5% as of writing, as the tech company announced a weaker-than-expected Fiscal 2026 outlook.
Meanwhile, the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was down, floating near 4.028%. WTI crude oil futures were trending higher, hovering near $59.05 per barrel as of the last check. Additionally, the Gold Spot U.S. dollar price fell to nearly $4,234 per ounce, as of writing.
Elsewhere, European stocks were mixed during early trading on Thursday, continuing the volatility that has characterized this week. Interestingly, Nestle (DE:NESM) (NSRGY) stock rallied after the consumer staples giant announced its plan to slash 16,000 jobs amid CEO Philipp Navratil’s efforts to accelerate a turnaround.
Asia-Pacific Markets Closed Mixed on Thursday
Asia-Pacific markets closed mixed today amid the ongoing trade tensions between the U.S. and China. South Korea’s Kospi index hit a record high today, after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) upgraded its 2025 growth forecast for the country to 0.9% from 0.8% in its October outlook report.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index ended lower by 0.08%. In China, the Shanghai Composite gained 0.10% while the Shenzhen Component fell 0.25%. Japan’s Nikkei rose 1.27%, and the Topix closed higher by 0.62%.
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