U.S. stock futures were mixed on Thursday, after a lower close on Wednesday, as the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 advanced, but the Dow Jones rose.
In a 215-208 vote, the Republican-controlled House passed a war powers resolution requiring President Donald Trump to obtain congressional authorization before continuing military action or deploying troops against Iran. Notably, four Republicans joined Democrats to pass the measure, marking a rare bipartisan challenge to the president’s military authority.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.49%, and the two-year bond was at 4.07%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 96.2% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged during June’s meeting.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | 0.29% |
| S&P 500 | -0.37% |
| Nasdaq 100 | -0.85% |
| Russell 2000 | 0.16% |
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 0.41% at $751.10, while the QQQ declined by 0.97% to $736.97.
Energy, consumer staples, and health care stocks registered the biggest gains on Wednesday, while information technology and financial equities closed the session lower.
| Index | Performance (+/-) | Value |
| Dow Jones | -1.12% | 50,687.07 |
| S&P 500 | -0.74% | 7,553,68 |
| Nasdaq Composite | -0.89% | 26,853.98 |
| Russell 2000 | -1.31% | 2,893.51 |
BlackRock maintains a positive stance on the U.S. stock market, largely fueled by the artificial intelligence sector and robust corporate performance. The investment firm explicitly states, “We stay overweight U.S. equities on the Al theme and resilient earnings.”
This optimism is rooted in the expectation that the ongoing AI boom will continue lifting corporate earnings, which has “proved strong enough to help offset the drag from higher interest rates.”
Furthermore, BlackRock asserts that “contained damage to global growth from the Mideast conflict and strong earnings expectations – particularly in tech – keep us risk-on.”
Regarding the broader U.S. economy, BlackRock anticipates steady conditions but acknowledges lingering monetary challenges. They expect economic data to reveal “modest but stable job gains, keeping the Federal Reserve focused on sticky inflation.”
Because of this persistent inflation and the market adjusting to higher rates, they remain underweight on long-term U.S. Treasuries. Overall, BlackRock views the U.S. economic landscape as resilient, prioritizing structural AI growth while navigating an environment characterized by higher interest rates.
Here's what investors will be keeping an eye on Thursday.
Crude oil futures were trading lower in the early New York session by 0.78% to hover around $95.27 per barrel.
Gold Spot Dollar rose 0.61% to hover around $4,461.56 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $5,595.46 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.09% lower at the 99.4440 level.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 5.09% lower at $63,506.41 per coin, as per the last 24 hours.
Asian markets closed lower on Thursday, as Hong Kong's Hang Seng, India’s Nifty 50, Japan's Nikkei 225, Australia's ASX 200, South Korea's Kospi, and China’s CSI 300 indices fell. European markets were mixed in early trade.
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