NEW YORK – Stock futures edged lower Thursday morning as the S&P 500 approached the 5,000 milestone. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dipped 6 points, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures inched down 0.1% each. Disney shares surged about 8% before the bell after the media giant beat quarterly earnings estimates and raised its guidance. Chipmaker and designer Arm jumped nearly 30% after reporting stronger-than-expected earnings and giving an upbeat profit forecast.
The stock market is coming off a winning session that saw the S&P 500 edge close to 5,000 in a rally led by strong earnings reports and technology stocks continuing their upward trend. The fourth-quarter earnings season has boosted investor confidence in the healthy economy and its potential to continue driving corporate profits.
Big Tech companies like Meta Platforms and Nvidia surged, while Microsoft rose to a fresh record high. The Nasdaq Composite also jumped nearly 1% to another all-time closing high, and the blue-chip Dow rallied about 150 points.
“The ‘Big 3’ forces that have been propelling the market since November are still exerting upside pressure, including the dovish monetary pivot, and resilient earnings,” said Adam Crisafulli, founder of Vital Knowledge.
Investors are keeping an eye on fresh jobless claims data to gauge the health of the labor market. This data will play a key role in shaping market sentiment and investor confidence moving forward. As the market continues to navigate through the current landscape, upcoming economic reports and corporate earnings will provide further insight into the market’s direction.