US stock futures steadied on Wednesday after a second bruising day for techs, with Wall Street looking to Micron’s (MU) earnings later for a health check on AI demand.
Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) futures rose 0.5%, while those on the S&P 500 (ES=F) put on 0.1%, coming off steep closing losses for the indexes as AI-focused names took a hit. Contracts on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F), which includes fewer tech stocks, fell 0.1%.
Worries about lofty valuations and massive spending, alongside fears of coming interest-rate hikes, have prompted a wave of profit-taking in high-flying AI-linked stocks.
Micron’s earnings are due after the bell on Wednesday, and its results will be closely watched as Wall Street assesses just how much faith to put in AI. Its shares have been on a tear this year, rising more than 250%, but they sank 13% on Tuesday amid the tech rout.
Late Tuesday, Cerebras posted its first earnings report since going public in May. Shares of the AI chipmaker dropped over 10% in premarket after it forecast profit margins would lag those from rivals such as Nvidia (NVDA).
Meanwhile, uncertainty persists over US-Iran talks and where key issues might ultimately land. While President Trump had pledged the Strait of Hormuz would remain free of tolls, Iran and Oman have started discussing a system to charge fees for ships to cross the key supply-flow waterway.
FedEx (FDX) cited rising transportation costs and the impacts of shifting trade policy for shrinking operating margins in its after-hours earnings report. The delivery company, seen as a bellwether for the broader economy, saw its shares slide before the bell.
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Alphabet to be included in Dow Jones, replacing Verizon
Yahoo Finance’s Ines Ferré reports:
Alphabet (GOOGL, GOOG) will join the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) on June 29, replacing Verizon Communications (VZ) in a move aimed at better reflecting growing areas of the US economy.
Alphabet’s inclusion will “broaden and strengthen the DJIA’s exposure” to areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, healthcare technology, and digital advertising said the S&P Dow Jones Indices statement.
The release noted that Alphabet’s “larger market capitalization and share price, together with the breadth of its businesses,” make it a stronger representative of the Communication Services (XLC) sector.
Because the Dow is weighted by stock price, Verizon’s lower-priced shares contribute relatively little to the index’s performance. Verizon shares are up roughly 14% year-to-date.
Read more here.
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Gold sinks under $4100 after market drop sparks liquidity selloff
Bloomberg reports:
Gold (GC=F) extended a decline, as a tech-led selloff on Wall Street prompted investors to cut bullion holdings to cover losses elsewhere in their portfolios.
Spot gold dropped below $4,100 an ounce, after giving up 1.7% in the previous session for its lowest close in two weeks. Treasuries rallied on Tuesday and a gauge of the dollar rose 0.4%, making gold that’s priced in the US currency more expensive for most buyers.
While gold is known as a haven investment, it often falls during big cross-market selloffs as it functions as a source of liquidity. Stocks in Asia were poised to extend losses on Wednesday on concerns that the AI-driven equity rally has run too far.
The tech slump has heaped further pressure on gold, which is already weighed down by concern that lingering inflation risks mean the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates. The hawkish tone adopted by new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has jolted investors and offset the positive impact from an interim US-Iran peace deal signed last week. Higher borrowing costs are a headwind for non-yielding precious metals.
Read more here.
