Traders works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) at the opening bell in New York on April 30, 2026.
Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty Images
S&P 500 futures were lower early Thursday, with traders looking ahead to more earnings reports and economic data after a losing session driven by hotter-than-expected inflation data.
S&P 500 futures shed 0.31%, while Nasdaq-100 futures dropped 0.83%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 0.12%, or 63 points.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 1.9% during regular trading, marking its worst day since July 23 — when it dropped 2.2%. The S&P 500 dropped 1.1%, its biggest one one-day slide since July 29. The Dow was the relative outperformer, falling just 0.1%.
In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi fell over 7.84%, dragged by technology heavyweights SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was down 4.4%, while the Hang Seng Index declined 1%. Mainland China’s CSI 300 lost 1.41%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.85%.
There are growing concerns that the Federal Reserve could tighten monetary policy more aggressively before year-end, after new data showed consumer prices in September rose faster than expected on a year-over-year basis.
“Inflation is cooking with gas,” said Jamie Cox, managing partner for Harris Financial Group. “It is abundantly clear where the inflation impulse originates, but two wars need to end before we get any relief. The Federal Reserve made the mistake of calling Covid era inflation transitory, and now it appears they are set to make the same mistake in reverse on the energy supply shock.”
Investors will get more inflation data on Thursday, with the September reading on producer prices due out at 8:30 a.m. ET. New retail sales figures and weekly jobless claims are also slated for release at that time.
The corporate earnings season continues as well, with regional banks U.S. Bancorp and PNC due to report. Charles Schwab is also scheduled to post earnings.
Asia markets close sharply lower
Asia-Pacific markets fell Thursday, with Korean stocks leading declines.
South Korea’s Kospi plunged 7.57% to 5,554.22, dragged by chip heavyweights SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, which fell more than 11% and nearly 10%, respectively. The small-cap Kosdaq lost 7.65% to end the trading day at 760.82.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 4.9% to 64,425.95, while the Topix fell 2.38% to 3,999.34.
The CSI 300 fell 1.23% to 4,166.01, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was down more than 1% in its last hour of trading.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 ended flat at 8,719.7.
— Lee Ying Shan
European stocks mixed in early trade
Europe’s stock markets were choppy in early trade, with regional sectors and major bourses mixed.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 was 0.43% lower shortly after 8:05 a.m. in London (3:05 a.m. E.T.)
Technology stocks led losses, tumbling 3.32%, followed closely by basic resources, which dropped 3.27%. Industrial goods were down 1.94%. In contrast, telecoms advanced 1.78%, leading gains, with household goods companies rising 1.58%.
The continent’s main bourses were mixed. In London, the U.K. FTSE 100 added 0.19%, while in Paris, the CAC 40 was hovering just above the flatline. Germany’s DAX was down 0.48% in Frankfurt, with the Italian FTSE MIB up 0.30%.
—Hugh Leask
UK economy grew 0.1% in August, beating expectations
Commuters cross London Bridge in London, England.
Peter Summers | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The U.K. economy grew by a better-than-expected 0.1% in the month to August, beating the 0.1% fall that had been forecast by economists polled by Reuters.
Growth in production offset weak output in services and construction.
The British pound jumped 0.4% against the U.S. dollar following the release. Yields U.K. government bonds — known as gilts — fell across the curve.
— Chloe Taylor
Europe’s stock markets set to open lower
The City of London financial district at sunrise.
Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty Images
Stoxx 50 futures were 0.9% lower as European stock markets were expected to start Thursday’s session in the red.
In the U.K., FTSE 100 futures were almost 0.1% lower, while in France, the CAC 40 was down 0.48%. Germany’s DAX was seen opening some 0.39% in the red, with the Italian FTSE MIB off by 0.51%.
— Hugh Leask
European chipmakers move lower in premarket trading
European chipmakers followed their Asian counterparts into the red ahead of Thursday’s market open.
Dutch semiconductor giant ASML was down 1.52% in premarket trading, while Infineon Technologies shed 2.32%. Germany’s Aixtron and SUSS MicroTec were also down 2.8% and 3.5%, respectively.
The moves follow a sharp retreat among Asian chipmakers on Thursday, which in turn tracked losses on Wall Street during the previous session amid rising concerns over AI financing and further Federal Reserve rate hikes.
— Hugh Leask
Oil falls as investors assess Mideast tensions, International Energy Agency’s report
Oil fell Thursday as traders assessed potential supply disruptions following attacks on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, while digesting the International Energy Agency’s latest monthly report on the outlook of the oil market.
Futures for international benchmark Brent crude for December delivery dropped 1.66% to $104.31 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for November fell 1.09% to $94.05 per barrel.
A Singapore registered ship was sunk in the critical Strait of Hormuz, which raised worries of a prolonged Mideast conflict. “Such attacks are unprovoked, unjustifiable and a breach of international law,” the Singapore maritime authority said in a statement Wednesday.
Iran, meanwhile, has said it is “counting the moments” until it can start striking U.S. warships.
The International Energy Agency in its oil report for October out Wednesday cautioned that constraints on diesel markets could continue well into the next year, with fresh attacks on Saudi Arabia threatening to derail a recovery in oil supply.
—Justina Lee
SK Hynix shares plunge 10% amid Asia tech rout as AI funding worries mount
A sell-off in global technology hardware stocks deepened Thursday, with Asian chipmakers tracking Wall Street losses as concerns over further Federal Reserve interest rate hikes, financing of artificial intelligence investments weigh on sentiment.
South Korean chip giant SK Hynix plunged over 10%, while rival Samsung Electronics fell 7.1%. Other South Korean chip-related stocks also came under pressure. LG Innotek sank 8.1%, Seoul Semiconductor shed 7.7% and Samsung SDI declined 6.8%.
In Japan, technology investment giant SoftBank Group tumbled 7.9%. Semiconductor testing equipment maker Advantest dropped 6.9%, while chipmaking equipment supplier Tokyo Electron lost 5.4%. Renesas Electronics declined 5.4%.
—Lee Ying Shan
South Korea’s Kospi plunges over 6% as Asia-Pacific markets tumble
Asia-Pacific markets fell Thursday, with Korean stocks leading declines.
South Korea’s Kospi declined 6.1% at the open, while the small-cap Kosdaq Index fell 5.7%. Index heavy weights SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics lost 9% and 7%, respectively.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 lost 3.2%, while the Topix fell 1.8%.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.71%.
— Lee Ying Shan
Asia markets set to track Wall Street decline as inflation data stokes rate hike fears
Asia-Pacific markets were set to fall Thursday, tracking losses on Wall Street as hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data fuels concerns that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates more aggressively.
Escalating attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz have also dented sentiment, as they add to uncertainty around the Middle East conflict, clouding the outlook for energy supplies.
Futures for Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index stood at 24,074, lower than the index’s last close of 24,314.17.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 was also set to fall at open, with its Chicago and Osaka futures contracts last at 66,365 and 66,480, respectively, compared with the index’s previous close of 67,744.29.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 0.85% in its first hour of trade.
— Lee Ying Shan
Rocket Lab announces launch delay; shares dip in after hours
Rocket Lab shares slipped in extended trading after the company pushed back the launch date of its Neutron rocket to 2027.
Shares last traded lower by about 7%.
Rocket Lab in the past day
The company recently identified an issue with the manufacturing process on one of its propellant domes, according to a Rocket Lab video that shared details on the launch delay.
Considering the length of time it would take to build a new dome, as well as to investigate and resolve the manufacturing issue, the company pushed Neutron’s first launch date into the new year, according to the video.
—Darla Mercado
CoreWeave is lower after hours following 15% plunge
CoreWeave shares were lower by 0.6% after the bell following a sharp pullback for the company’s stock and bonds on fears some tech companies are borrowing too much for AI.
The neocloud name nosedived 15.5%, while yields on its debt jumped. CEO Mike Intrator dismissed the market moves in a memo obtained by CNBC.
“When you are building a new type of technology company there will be periods of time when the market misunderstands and acts irrationally,” he wrote. “We are confident in our backlog which more than supports all of our debt obligations.”
Read more here.
— Michelle Fox