U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Wednesday helped by a rise in mega-cap technology stocks, as investors awaited Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell’s testimony and more earnings reports from big banks poured in.
At 8:15 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 14 points, or 0.04%, S&P 500 E-minis were ip 7 points, or 0.16% and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 71.5 points, or 0.48%.
Powell is set to appear before Congress on Wednesday and Thursday, and many will be watching for signs if the central bank would alter its stance on rising consumer prices, which it has said are transitory and may begin unwinding its easy-money policies sooner than expected.
Data on Tuesday indicated U.S. consumer prices rose by the most in 13 years last month, pulling the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq from intraday record highs, and taking shine off strong earnings from JPMorgan Chase & Co and Goldman Sachs Group Inc that kicked off the quarterly reporting season.
Wall Street has been sensitive to rising inflation, with market participants fearing that a potential hawkish shift by the central bank amid a rise in new coronavirus infections could wobble stocks after a record rally from the pandemic lows last year.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden’s drive for big new infrastructure investment got a boost on Tuesday when leading Senate Democrats agreed on a $3.5 trillion investment plan they aim to include in a budget resolution to be debated soon.
Stocks making the biggest moves in the premarket:
Bank of America – Bank of America shares slid 2.2% in the premarket after it reported a quarterly profit of $1.03 per share, including a one-time tax benefit. The consensus estimate was 77 cents. The bank's revenue came in below Wall Street forecasts and it also reported higher expenses.
BlackRock – The asset management firm reported an adjusted quarterly profit of $10.03 per share, beating the consensus estimate of $9.46, while revenue was also above Wall Street forecasts. Assets under management surged to a record $9.49 trillion during the quarter. Despite the beat, BlackRock fell 1.4% in premarket action.
Delta Air Lines – Delta lost $1.07 per share for the second quarter, less than the $1.38 per share loss that analysts were anticipating. Revenue topped forecasts, with Delta noting accelerated customer demand and a "solid" pretax profit for the month of June. Delta gained 2.6% in premarket action.
Peloton Interactive, Inc. – Pelton shares fell 2.2% in the premarket after Wedbush Securities downgraded the fitness equipment maker's stock to "neutral" from "outperform". Wedbush points out that consumers now have a growing number of workout alternatives, as well as the post-pandemic option of out-of-home workouts.
American Airlines – American expects to report positive cash flow for the second quarter, the first time that's happened since the pandemic began. At the height of the global travel shutdown, American was burning about $100 million per day in cash. American shares jumped 2.9% in premarket trading.
Broadcom – The chipmaker is no longer in talks to buy software company SAS Institute, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke to the Wall Street Journal. The end of the discussions reportedly came after SAS co-founders Jim Goodnight and John Sall changed their minds about possibly selling the company.
Apple – Apple is asking suppliers to build as many as 90 million next-generation iPhones, according to people with knowledge of the matter who spoke to Bloomberg. That would represent an up to 20% increase over 2020 levels. Apple rose 1.8% in the premarket.
eBay – eBay agreed to sell part of its stake in Norway'sAdevintato satisfy a demand from Austrian competition regulators. Austria wanted eBay to cut its stake to no more than 33%, in order to give its approval for a tie-up between the classified ad businesses of the two companies. EBay will sell a 10.2% Adevinta stake to private equity firm Permira for $2.25 billion.
L Brands Inc – L Brands raised its fiscal second-quarter earnings guidance, thanks to better-than-expected profit margins and improved sales at its Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works units. Separately, L Brands filed to sell 20 million shares held by founder Leslie Wexner and affiliated stockholders. The company will not receive any proceeds from the sale. L Brands fell 2.1% in the premarket.
Jefferies Financial Group Inc. – Japan'sSumitomo Mitsui Financial Groupis considering buying a 5% stake in Jefferies for about $380 million, according to multiple reports. Sumitomo did acknowledge it was considering a financial alliance with Jefferies and would announce further details once they are worked out. Jefferies shares rallied 3.5% in premarket trading.
Lululemon Athletica – The apparel maker's shares rose 1.1% in the premarket after Goldman initiated coverage with a "buy" rating and inclusion on the firm's "Conviction Buy" list. Goldman said the post-Covid recovery period has been favorable for apparel and strong brands.
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