Wall Street was pointing to gains before Thursday’s opening bell, according to the Associated Press. Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.6%, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3%, and Nasdaq futures rose 0.8%.
The stock market has faltered on several weak economic indicators over the past week, as Americans grow pessimistic about inflation and the higher tariffs sought by President Donald Trump. Big Tech and other high-growth stocks have been the most vulnerable to the market swings.
Nvidia, the chip company that’s become the poster child of the AI rush, ticked up a modest 0.8% after hours as it reported a surge in fourth-quarter profit and sales. The company reported that demand for its specialized Blackwell chips, which power artificial intelligence systems, has continued to grow.
EBay slumped 8% before the bell after a tepid sales forecast for this year overshadowed a strong fourth quarter.
Shares of vaccine maker Moderna slid close to 5% on a media report that the Trump administration is considering pulling funding for bird flu vaccines. Bloomberg reported that U.S. health officials are “reevaluating” a $590 million contract for bird flu shots awarded to Moderna in the waning days of the Biden administration.
A report on Friday will show how the gauge of inflation that the Federal Reserve prefers to use has been behaving.
