A trader works on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on August 06, 2026 in New York City.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
Stock futures were little changed on Wednesday nights as traders awaited more inflation data and weighed fresh earnings reports.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures traded just over the flatline. S&P 500 futures fell marginally, while Nasdaq-100 futures slipped 0.1%.
In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi rose 4% on Thursday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 1.5%, while Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.12%.
The July reading of the U.S. producer price index, which gauges what wholesalers pay for raw goods and materials, is set for release Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect an increase of 0.2% from the prior month.
The PPI report comes a day after an in-line reading on the consumer price index.
CPI for July increased by 0.1% month over month, matching expectations. The tame report gave the S&P 500 a boost, with the benchmark closing higher for the first time in three sessions. The report led to traders paring expectations for a rate hike in September.
“Still, the odds favor a rate increase in either October or December, after monetary policy officials take time to gauge the temperature on both sides of the central bank’s mandate,” said José Torres, senior economist at Interactive Brokers.
Investors will get even more economic data on Friday in the form of July retail sales. Economists expect growth of just 0.1% last month, according to Dow Jones.
Wall Street also got a boost after CoreWeave and other tech companies soared post earnings. Traders assessed a slew of corporate earnings that came out after the bell Wednesday.
Cisco Systems, Cerebras and Coherent all posted results that weren’t enough to impress investors. Cisco traded lower by almost 4%, while Cerebras and Coherent shed 15% and about 3%, respectively.
South Korea’s Kospi rises over 4%, Japan’s Nikkei 225 gains more than 1%
Asia-Pacific markets opened largely in the green on Thursday. South Korea’s Kospi rose 4%, while the small-cap Kosdaq added 0.92%.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 1.5%, and the Topix advanced 0.99%.
Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.12%.
— Lee Ying Shan
Japan’s Nikkei 225 is set to open higher with focus on producer inflation data
Japan stocks were set to open higher, with focus on the country’s wholesale inflation data.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 Chicago futures contract was trading at 68,585 and its Osaka counterpart was last at 68,550 compared with the index’s previous close of 67,524.06.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index futures last traded at 25,320, below the benchmark’s close of 25,440.17.
Futures for Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 last traded at 9,128, compared with the index’s Wednesday close of 9,209.4.
Investors also await U.S. wholesale inflation data after consumer inflation came in line with estimates.
The July reading of the U.S. producer price index, which gauges what wholesalers pay for raw goods and materials, is set for release Thursday at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect an increase of 0.2% from the prior month.
— Lee Ying Shan
Cerebras, Coherent among the stocks making big moves after the bell
Coherent — The photonics company lost almost 3% in extended trading after adjusted gross margin for the fourth quarter was roughly in line with estimates. Non-GAAP gross margin was 40.2%, while the StreetAccount consensus estimate anticipated 40%. Guidance for first quarter earnings and revenue surpassed analysts’ expectations.
Cerebras Systems – Shares of the artificial intelligence chip manufacturer tumbled 14%. Revenue in the second quarter came in at $180 million, versus the $194 million LSEG consensus estimate.
Cisco Systems – Shares fell 3%. Adjusted gross margin for the fourth quarter only narrowly beat estimates, coming in at 66.3% versus the StreetAccount consensus call for 66%.
— Fred Imbert
