US stock futures fluctuated on Thursday as oil prices surged and Wall Street parsed the latest batch of quarterly results from closely watched companies, including Tesla (TSLA) and IBM (IBM).
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) hovered below the flat line. Contracts on the broad benchmark S&P 500 (ES=F) ticked up 0.1%, while those on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 rose about 0.2%.
A flood of third-quarter earnings arrived after Wednesday’s closing bell. Tesla shares fell over 3.5% after the EV maker posted mixed third-quarter results, kicking off the “Magnificent Seven” earnings cycle. IBM stock dropped around 6.5%, as stronger-than-expected profits were offset by in-line software revenue that nevertheless disappointed investors.
Next highlights are results from T-Mobile (TMUS) and Blackstone (BX), set to report before market open on Thursday, while Intel (INTC) takes center stage after the bell.
Meanwhile, oil futures jumped over 4% after the US placed sanctions on Russia’s giant producers, piling pressure on President Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Brent crude (BZ=F) rose to above $65 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) topped $61.
On the trade front, President Trump said a long-anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi is “scheduled,” offering a bit of reassurance to markets unsettled by rising US-China tensions. Stocks came under pressure early Wednesday after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested the White House could expand restrictions on China-bound software exports by Nov. 1.
Also looming is the release of September consumer inflation data on Friday, delayed due to the US government shutdown. The reading is in even higher focus than usual, given that the stoppage — now in its fourth week — has dried up the flow of official economic reports. Investors are hoping for clues about the Federal Reserve’s next moves, to test expectations for another quarter point interest-rate cut at its meeting next week.
LIVE 6 updates
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Premarket trending tickers: IBM, LVS and Honeywell
IBM (IBM) stock slumped 7% in premarket trading after a decline in growth in its core cloud software segment spooked investors over its ability to seize the booming demand for cloud services.
Las Vegas Sands (LVS) stock price jumped 5% in premarket trading on Thursday after the casino operator reported a rise in profit and sales due to its Macao and Singapore investments.
Honeywell’s (HON) stock rose 4% before the bell after raising its 2025 profit forecast despite the impact of a planned separation of its advanced materials unit, signaling robust growth prospects fueled by strong aerospace demand.
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STMicro forecasts lower-than-expected Q4 sales, shares fall
STMicro (STM) forecast fourth quarter sales below market expectations on Thursday, sending the company’s share price down 7% in premarket trading.
Reuters reports:
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Beyond Meat’s wild ride triggers a short-seller frenzy
Bloomberg reports:
The rapid rally in shares of Beyond Meat Inc. (BYND) has sent some short sellers scrambling to exit their positions to avoid further damage, while still others doubled down on their bets against the stock.
Over four days, shares of the beleaguered plant-based protein producer surged more than 1,300% through Wednesday’s intraday peak.
That’s pushed short sellers’ paper losses to more than $120 million from last week’s record low close, according to data from S3 Partners LLC. The rapid about-face from an all-time low to a 14-month high helped swing the tide to a more than $45 million paper loss year to date. Before the retail trader-driven rally, shorts had paper profits of nearly $80 million in 2025. …
Some of the short sellers’ losses have already started to unwind. The stock ended Wednesday down after an intraday pop of 112%. Losses extended in premarket trading Thursday, with the shares falling as much as 22% to $2.80 as of 4:30 a.m. in New York.
Read more here.
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Nokia posts profit beat as AI, cloud demand boost optical sales
Nokia (NOK) beat estimates for its third-quarter earnings on Thursday, driven by strong optical and cloud demand, including AI-focused data centre sales following its Infinera acquisition.
The Finnish telecommunications company saw its shares rise 8% before the bell.
Reuters reports:
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Oil jumps as Trump steps up pressure on Russia with sanctions
Bloomberg reports:
Oil rallied after the US announced sanctions on Russia’s biggest producers, as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on his counterpart Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Brent (BZ=F) advanced as much as 3.9% to trade near $65 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) surged toward $61 after the US blacklisted state-run giant Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC, citing Moscow’s lack of commitment to peace in Ukraine. Senior refinery executives in India — a key buyer of Russian crude — said the restrictions would make it impossible for flows to continue.
The sanctions mark a U-turn for Trump, who had announced last week he would meet Putin in the coming weeks and said repeatedly he believed Russia wanted to end the war. But on Tuesday, he said he didn’t want a wasted meeting.
The penalties “mark a shift in President Trump’s approach to Russia and open the door for tougher sanctions down the road, which could ultimately impact Russian oil flows,” said Warren Patterson, the head of commodities strategy for ING Groep NV in Singapore. “The uncertainty is how effective these sanctions will be and what impact they actually have” on exports, he added.
Read more here.
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Gold hits third straight day of losses in screeching halt to record-setting rally
Gold (GC=F) pulled back for a third straight day, while still trading over it’s $4,000 price point that sparked the flurry of interest leading to investors taking profits.
Bloomberg reports:
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