U.S. stock futures were slightly higher on Thursday after a mixed close on Wednesday. Futures of major benchmark indices were trading higher.
The stocks were higher following President Donald Trump‘s announcement of a deal with Vietnam on Thursday in A Truth Social post.
The Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange will close at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday and stay closed all day Friday. The U.S. bond market will also have an early close at 2 p.m. ET on July 3rd and remain closed on July 4th.
The 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.25% and the two-year bond was at 3.76%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 74.7% likelihood of the Federal Reserve keeping the current interest rates unchanged in its July meeting.
| Futures | Change (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | 0.02% |
| S&P 500 | 0.02% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 0.07% |
| Russell 2000 | 0.48% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 index and Nasdaq 100 index, respectively, were slightly higher in premarket on Thursday. The SPY was up 0.12% at $621.17, while the QQQ advanced 0.17% to $551.72, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Cues From Last Session:
Materials, information technology, and energy stocks led the gains on Wednesday, driving U.S. stocks mostly higher and pushing the S&P 500 to a record high, buoyed by President Donald Trump’s announcement of a new trade agreement with Vietnam.
Conversely, health care and utilities stocks bucked the trend, finishing the session lower.
On the economic front, the ADP National Employment Report revealed a contraction of 33,000 jobs in the private sector for June 2025, marking the first monthly decline since March 2023.
In corporate news, The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. (NYSE:GBX) shares surged 21% on Wednesday following the release of their stronger-than-expected third-quarter results.
| Index | Performance (+/-) | Value |
| Nasdaq Composite | 0.94% | 20,393.13 |
| S&P 500 | 0.47% | 6,227.42 |
| Dow Jones | -0.024% | 44,484.42 |
| Russell 2000 | 1.31% | 2,226.38 |
Insights From Analysts:
Ryan Detrick from Carson Research highlighted “another bullish sign” in a recent X post. He pointed out that the S&P 500 index saw a golden cross on Wednesday, July 2.
“This happens when the faster 50-day MA moves above the slower 200-day MA,” he explained.
Detrick added that “All things considered, this is yet another reason to expect better than average returns going forward.”
However, the senior global strategist at Wells Fargo, Scott Wren, said that “Our feel is that stocks are ahead of themselves, and we are looking to trim positions in overvalued markets and sectors.”
Wren explained that most market strategists don't want to see the kind of market volatility the S&P 500 Index has experienced over the past four months.
“But just when a bit of panic set into the minds of some investors, stocks turned seemingly on a dime and in less than three months gained back all that was lost and then some, setting a new record high to close out last week's trading.”
He also reiterated that Wells Fargo believes the Wall Street consensus is overly optimistic on the tariff outlook and thus the growth rate in calendar-year 2025.
“Investors could choose to hold those funds or reinvest in sectors more favorable in our work, which include Technology, Financials, Energy, Utilities, and Communications Services. But stocks are not cheap, and investors might also choose to hold those funds to reinvest if the downside volatility we expect develops,” he added.
See Also: How to Trade Futures
Upcoming Economic Data
Here’s what investors will keep an eye on Thursday and Friday:
- Initial jobless claims data for the week ended June 28, along with June’s employment, unemployment, hourly wages, and May’s trade deficit data, will all be out by 8:30 a.m. ET.
- June’s S&P final U.S. services PMI will be released by 9:45 a.m., whereas ISM services data and May’s factory orders data will be out by 10:00 a.m. ET.
- Markets will be closed on Friday, July 4, for Independence Day.
Stocks In Focus:
- Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE:FC) dropped 7.82% after reporting downbeat results for the third quarter and lowering its FY2025 sales guidance after the closing bell on Wednesday.
- Xponential Fitness Inc. (NYSE:XPOF) surged 18.63% after the company disclosed in a Form 8 filing that the SEC concluded its investigation without action.
- Banzai International Inc. (NASDAQ:BNZI) declined 3.96% after announcing a 1-for-10 reverse stock split.
- FIEE Inc. (NASDAQ:MINM) zoomed 47.94% after entering into an asset purchase agreement with Suzhou Yixuntong to acquire intellectual property and fixed assets for $1.4 million.
- National Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ:FIZZ) was 0.16% lower after posting in-line earnings for its fourth quarter, while sales topped estimates.
- Global Interactive Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:GITS) skyrocketed 223.31% after it detailed events like CEO ousting, other leadership changes, a strategic divestiture, and unusual stock volatility in a recent filing.
- Mira Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:MIRA) advanced by 33.87% after the announcement of Mira-55, a synthetic analog of marijuana, providing pain relief comparable to morphine.
- Theratechnologies Inc. (NASDAQ:THTX) gained 32.20% after entering into a definitive agreement to be acquired by CB Biotechnology, an affiliate of Future Pak, in a deal valued at up to $254 million.
- Xponential Fitness Inc. (NYSE:XPOF) climbed 20.24% after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission concluded its investigation without any action.
Commodities, Gold, And Global Equity Markets:
Crude oil futures were trading lower in the early New York session by 0.92% to hover around $66.83 per barrel.
Gold Spot US Dollar fell 0.13% to hover around $3,352.75 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $3,500.33 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was higher by 0.03% at the 96.8050 level.
Asian markets ended on a mixed note on Thursday, as India's S&P BSE Sensex, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, and Australia's ASX 200 indices fell. While South Korea's Kospi, Japan's Nikkei 225, and China’s CSI 300 indices rose. European markets were mixed in early trade.
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