5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens

Boeing (BA) shares are dropping in premarket trading as members of its biggest union launch a strike; Adobe (ADBE) shares are tumbling on the software maker’s disappointing current-quarter outlook; Oracle (ORCL) is gaining on upbeat sales guidance; gold (GOLD) prices are hitting new highs; and private-equity giant Blackstone (BX) reportedly is considering a sale of visa outsourcing firm VFS Global. U.S. stock futures are edging higher after major indexes rallied Thursday. Here’s what investors need to know today.

1. Boeing Stock Sinks as Machinists Union Launches Strike

Boeing (BA) shares are falling about 4% in premarket trading after its biggest union overwhelmingly rejected a tentative deal that would have given a 25% pay hike over four years and launched a strike, the latest setback for the troubled plane maker. More than 30,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) walked out, hurting airplane assembly at Boeing’s factories in the Pacific Northwest and California.

2. Adobe Stock Dives After Issuing Weak Outlook

Adobe (ADBE) shares are tumbling 8% in premarket trading after the digital multimedia software maker issued a disappointing current-quarter outlook that offset better-than-expected third-quarter results. While the San Jose, Calif.-based firm’s shares are up 28% in the past three months, they are in the red for the year as enterprise customers hold back on spending on premium software products amid high interest rates and an uncertain economic outlook. 

3. Oracle Stock Jumps on Rosy Long-Term Sales View 

Oracle (ORCL) shares are surging 6% in premarket trading after a senior executive reportedly told analysts its annual revenue will rise to at least $104 billion in fiscal 2029. Bloomberg reported that Executive Vice President Doug Kehring announced the projection, which comes just days after the software maker posted Wall Street-beating quarterly results, and also said the company raised its sales outlook for fiscal 2026 to at least $66 billion from a prior target of $65 billion, ahead of the $64.8 billion consensus estimate of analysts polled by Visible Alpha.

4. Gold Hits Record Highs Amid Aggressive Rate-Cut Talk

Gold (GOLD) prices are hitting new highs as the possibility of an aggressive interest-rate cut by the Federal Reserve at its meeting next week resurfaces. Lower interest rates make the precious metal more attractive relative to other assets, and the 2-year Treasury yield is falling 5 basis points as The Wall Street Journal reported that the debate by the central bank’s officials on whether to cut by 25 basis points or 50 is a close call. The precious metal, currently at $2,594 per ounce, has been rising this year as investors seek a safe haven amid geopolitical tensions and as Chinese investors flock to gold.

5. Blackstone Reportedly Mulling Sale of $7B Visa Outsourcing Firm VFS

Private-equity giant Blackstone (BX) reportedly is mulling options for VFS Global, including a sale of its majority stake in the visa outsourcing and technology services firm. According to Bloomberg, a sale of the Dubai- and Zurich-headquartered unit could value VFS at around $7 billion, and Blackstone has held preliminary talks with its advisers to evaluate a full or partial sale. Blackstone shares are little changed in premarket trading.

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