Editor’s note: The ETFs data was updated and economic data was added
U.S. stock futures were lower on Thursday, as the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indices fell, following Wednesday’s higher close.
Macroeconomic indicators offered a reassuring backdrop on Thursday, as initial jobless claims fell by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 206,000 for the week ending Aug. 15, while the Philadelphia Fed’s general business activity index rose 6 points to a five-year high of 47.4 in August.
President Donald Trump announced a harsh economic offensive against Iran dubbed "Operation Economic Fury," threatening severe consequences for any nation offering Tehran financial support. The aggressive stance and tightening U.S. naval grip around the Strait of Hormuz escalated Middle East geopolitical tensions, driving Brent crude higher toward $92 a barrel.
"Their navy is gone, their air force is destroyed, their military factories are now rubble, their currency is worthless, and their country is hanging by a thread," Trump said in a post on Truth Social, calling the effort an "economic D-Day."
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.66%, and the two-year bond was at 4.17%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool projections show markets pricing in a 32.8% likelihood of the Federal Reserve hiking the current interest rates during its September meeting.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | -0.19% |
| S&P 500 | -0.13% |
| Nasdaq 100 | -0.11% |
| Russell 2000 | -0.20% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were lower in premarket on Thursday. The SPY was down 0.56% at $764.76, while the QQQ declined by 0.85% to $710.02.
Read Also: Stock Market: Will S&P 500 Open Up or Down Today?
Stocks In Focus
Coty
- Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY ) fell 5.61% after posting mixed results for the fourth quarter after Wednesday’s closing bell. It reported quarterly losses of two cents per share, which missed the consensus estimate for a loss of one cent.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that COTY maintains a strong price trend in the short and medium terms but a weak trend in the long term.
Nordson
- Nordson Corp. (NASDAQ: NDSN ) jumped 7.16% after reporting better-than-expected third-quarter financial results and raising its FY26 guidance.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that NDSN maintains a strong price trend in the short, long, and medium terms, with a moderate quality score.
Webull
- Webull Corp. (NASDAQ: BULL ) surged 14.35% higher after reporting second-quarter revenue of $198.83 million, up 51% year-over-year and above the $181.26 million estimate, while adjusted EPS of 5 cents beat expectations of 3 cents.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that BULL maintains a strong price trend in the short and medium terms but a weak trend in the long term, with a poor value score.
Moderna
- Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA ) corrected by 11.57% after a 176.97% rally on Wednesday after its personalized mRNA cancer vaccine with Merck & Co Inc. (NYSE: MRK ) succeeded in a Phase 3 melanoma trial, marking the first Phase 3 win for an mRNA-based cancer treatment.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that MRNA maintains a strong price trend in the long, medium, and short terms.
Walmart
- Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ: WMT ) dropped 6.24% following its quarterly report, despite beating Wall Street expectations on both top and bottom lines. Adjusted EPS was $0.81 per share, beating consensus estimates of $0.74, and revenue of $187.94 billion beat consensus estimates of $186.83 billion by $1.11 billion. However, U.S. comparable-store sales grew only 2.6%, a significant shortfall versus Wall Street’s forecast of 3.8% growth.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that WMT maintains a weak price trend in the short, long, and medium terms, with a good growth score.
Cues From Last Session
Health care, consumer discretionary, and materials led S&P 500 gains on Wednesday, while industrials and information technology fell, yet U.S. stocks settled higher overall as the Dow Jones added over 100 points after the Treasury doubled long-dated debt buybacks, pulling yields off 20-month highs.
| Index | Performance (+/-) | Value |
| Dow Jones | 0.22% | 53,463.05 |
| S&P 500 | 0.21% | 7,707.98 |
| Nasdaq Composite | 0.16% | 26,331.09 |
| Russell 2000 | 0.50% | 3,032.94 |
Insights From Analysts
BlackRock views the current market environment as driven by structural shifts rather than a typical business cycle. High corporate earnings growth and elevated long-term bond yields are not contradictory signals, but rather the result of a “structurally higher cost of capital.”
BlackRock remains overweight U.S. equities, driven by strong corporate earnings and artificial intelligence adoption. Analysts expect U.S. corporate earnings to grow 11.6% annually over the next five years, a pace achieved in “only about 15% of historical five-year periods.”
However, this trajectory relies heavily on “AI adoption boosting productivity and profit margins.” Rather than broad market exposure, BlackRock recommends targeted plays in AI bottlenecks, such as power, chips, and data centers.
On the economy and fixed income, BlackRock anticipates persistent inflation risks and higher government borrowing. They remain underweight long-term U.S. Treasuries, citing that “investors want more compensation for holding long-term bonds amid persistent inflation and high debt loads.”
Consequently, they advise moving away from long-duration government debt in favor of short- to medium-term bonds, private credit, and infrastructure equity.
Upcoming Economic Data
Here’s what investors will be keeping an eye on Thursday.
- Jobless Claims & Manufacturing: Initial weekly unemployment claims dropped to 206,000 (vs. 212,000 prior), while the Philly Fed Manufacturing Index climbed to 47.4 in August—its highest reading since April 2021—driven by a surge in future growth expectations.
- July’s leading indicators data will be out by 10:00 a.m. ET.
Commodities, Crypto, And Global Equity Markets
Crude Oil WTI futures were trading higher in the early New York session by 2.29% to hover around $86.32 per barrel.
Gold Spot US Dollar fell 0.72% to hover around $4,490.65 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.13% lower at the 98.7030 level.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 11.20% higher at $71,657.52 per coin over the last 24 hours.
Asian markets were higher on Thursday, as Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, China’s CSI 300, Australia’s ASX 200, India’s Nifty 50, Japan’s Nikkei 225, and South Korea’s Kospi indices rose. European markets were mostly lower in early trading.
Read Also: 3 Sectors Investors Should Buy Now as S&P 500 Stumbles — Strategist Sees 15%-18% Upside
Image via Shutterstock
