FX.co ★ US Futures Mixed as Traders Weigh Earnings

On Thursday, U.S. stock futures demonstrated mixed movements as investors evaluated the earnings outcomes from major tech companies, alongside the Federal Reserve's anticipated decision to maintain interest rates. While futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a slight decline of 0.2%, the S&P 500 futures remained unchanged, and the Nasdaq 100 futures increased by 0.25%. After the market closed, Meta Platforms experienced a notable 8% rise following a robust first-quarter sales forecast, and Tesla's shares saw an approximate 2% boost due to unexpectedly strong fourth-quarter performances. In contrast, Microsoft experienced a 7% decrease, attributed to decelerating growth in its cloud division and a tempered outlook on operating margins for the upcoming quarter. Investors are now focusing on forthcoming earnings reports from Apple, which are expected later on Thursday, as well as reports from Visa, Mastercard, Caterpillar, and Lockheed Martin. In Wednesday’s regular trading session, U.S. equities presented a mixed picture; the Dow inched up by 0.02%, the S&P 500 experienced a slight decline of 0.01%, and the Nasdaq Composite saw a 0.17% increase, buoyed by the strong performance of semiconductor stocks, notably Nvidia (+1.6%), Micron (+6.1%), and Intel (+11%).