Trading on Wall Street was mixed and subdued with the arrival of more quarterly financial reports from major corporations and ahead of the government’s monthly jobs report, which comes Friday, according to the Associated Press. Futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average shifted between tiny gains and losses before the bell Thursday, while Nasdaq futures fell back 0.2%.
Industrial conglomerate Honeywell slipped 3.6% in premarket after announcing that it will split into three independent, publicly traded companies, following in the footsteps of General Electric and Alcoa. The North Carolina company, one of the few U.S. conglomerates still in existence, expects to complete the spin-off of its automation and aerospace technologies businesses sometime in late 2026.
Ford tumbled 6.1% after it forecast weaker-than-expected earnings growth this year and more losses in its electric vehicles business. The automaker has been grappling with stubbornly high warranty expenses and lagging cost-cutting efforts.
Hershey gained 1.5% after the chocolate maker posted strong earnings but warned of continued cost pressures this year due to surging cocoa prices.
Benchmark U.S. crude rose 36 cents to $71.39 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 34 cents to $74.95 per barrel.
The U.S. dollar fell to 152.40 Japanese yen from 152.55 yen.
