FINWIRES · TerminalLIVE
FINWIRES

Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Thursday Amid Big Tech Earnings, Economic Data

By

The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.4% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) advanced 0.5% in Thursday's premarket activity, amid optimistic big tech earnings reports and a deluge of economic data.

US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.4%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.6%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.5% before the start of regular trading.

Reports releasing at 8:30 am ET include the Q1 gross domestic product (GDP) from Washington, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE)-core inflation report for March, the weekly jobless claims bulletin, and the Q1 Employment Cost Index.

The April Chicago PMI posts at 9:45 am, followed by the February leading indicators report at 10 am, and the weekly natural gas stocks at 10:30 am ET.

In premarket action, bitcoin was down by 0.7%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.7% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) advanced 1.4%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was flat.

Power Play:

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) retreated by 0.5%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was down 1.5%, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was up 1.9%.

Willis Towers Watson (WTW) shares were down more than 9% pre-bell after the company reported higher Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Winners and Losers:

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) advanced 1.2%, the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was 1.1% higher, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was up 0.7%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) gained 0.2%.

Eli Lilly (LLY) stock was up more than 7% premarket after the company reported higher Q1 non-GAAP earnings and revenue.

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) gained by 0.4%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 1% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 1.7%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) rose 2%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) advanced by 1.3%.

Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) shares were up 7% in Thursday's premarket activity after the tech giant reported overnight Q1 earnings and sales above market expectations.

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) advanced 0.5%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was up 1.6% and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) gained 0.4%.

Caterpillar (CAT) stock was up more than 5% before the opening bell after the company reported higher Q1 adjusted profit and revenue.

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was down 0.3%, the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was 0.2% lower, and the iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) retreated 0.1%. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) was up 0.6%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) gained 0.03%, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) declined by 0.6%.

Unilever (UL) shares were up more than 2% pre-bell after the company said its Q1 underlying sales grew by 3.8%.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was down 0.9%, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) declined by 1.1%.

ConocoPhillips (COP) stock was down more than 2% before the opening bell after the company reported lower Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell by 2.3% to $104.44 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas retreated by 1.4% to $2.61 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) decreased by 2.6%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 1.5% lower.

Gold futures for May were up by 1.8% to $4,641.80 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures rose by 2.6% to $73.96 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) was 1.9% higher, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) gained by 2.7%.

Related Articles

Commodities

US Oil Update: Crude Settles Higher as US-Iran Standoff Threatens Global Supply

Crude oil futures rallied in after-hours trading on Wednesday, as a deepening standoff between the US and Iran over a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and deadlocked peace talks heightened concerns about prolonged global supply disruptions.Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude futures surged by 8.57% to $108.49 per barrel, while Brent futures rose 9.01% to $121.48/bbl.US crude stockpiles dropped by 6.2 million barrels to 459.5 mmbbls in the week ended April 24, the Energy Information Administration said in its weekly report on Wednesday, amid signs of tightening supplies.Crude inventories are now about 1% above the five-year average for this time of year, the EIA said.Saxo Bank strategists said crude surged to record highs during this war-driven cycle, as the near-closure of the Strait of Hormuz prolongs a disruption that is tightening global energy markets.President Trump reportedly discussed how to mitigate the impact of a possible months-long US blockade of Iran's ports with American oil firms while urging Tehran to "get smart soon" and sign a deal."Iran can't get their act together. They don't know how to sign a non-nuclear deal. They better get smart soon!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social.Trump vowed to maintain the US naval blockade against Iran until Tehran agrees to a nuclear deal, noting that the blockade is more effective than the bombing.The US and Iran have been locked in a stalemate over talks to end the Middle East conflict, as flows of crude, natural gas and oil products from the Arabian Gulf remain effectively cut off since the conflict began in February.Meanwhile, the US naval blockade appears to be putting pressure on Iran, amid reports that the country is running out of crude storage space, which could accelerate production cuts.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran's Kharg Island, the country's primary oil export terminal, is approaching storage capacity, which will likely force the government to reduce crude production and cause damage to Iran's oil infrastructure.The latest Kpler data shows that seven vessels transited the Hormuz as of April 28, up by one from the previous day, but still well below typical volumes. Movement through the strategic waterway remains highly selective, with the majority of activity dominated by shadow fleet tankers.On the supply side, market participants continue to assess the impact of the UAE's shock decision to leave OPEC next month.RBC Capital Markets strategists said that with no immediate requirement for coordinated production cuts and many member states focused on rebuilding capacity, OPEC is expected to remain broadly intact in the near term.ING strategists said that the departure during a period of significant supply disruption limits the market impact."Therefore, in the short term, this development has little impact on the market. But in the medium to longer term, it means more supply for the market," the analysts said.However, OPEC+ is expected to agree to a small production hike over the weekend, despite the loss of significant exports due to the ongoing conflict and the UAE's exit, according to media reports.

Commodities

Antero Midstream Q1 Gathering Volumes Rise 14%

Antero Midstream (AM) reported higher gathering volumes in Q1 2026, while other operating metrics were mixed compared with the year-ago period.The company said gathering volumes rose 14% to 3,805 million cubic feet per day, up from 3,348 MMcf/d in Q1 2025.Centralized compression volumes increased modestly by 1% to 3,370 MMcf/d, compared with 3,330 MMcf/d a year earlier.Fresh water delivery volumes declined 21% to 83 thousand barrels per day, down from 105 MBbl/d in the prior-year quarter.Meanwhile, joint venture processing volumes increased 4% to 1,708 MMcf/d from 1,650 MMcf/d. Joint venture fractionation volumes were unchanged at 40 MBbl/d.

$AM
Commodities

CVR Energy Reports Q1 Production Gains as Utilization Reaches 97%

CVR Energy (CVI) reported Q1 earnings Wednesday, showing total production of 211,812 barrels per day, up from 116,575 b/d a year earlier.The company reported total throughput of 214,268 b/d for the quarter ended Mar. 31, up from 120,377 b/d, a year earlier.Coffeyville refinery gathered crude throughput rose to 50,723 b/d in the quarter, from 26,728 b/d a year earlier, CVR Energy said.Other domestic crude throughput increased to 62,045 b/d from 12,348 b/d, while Canadian crude throughput rose to 17,384 b/d, compared with 640 b/d a year earlier, the company said.Coffeyville produced 74,789 b/d of gasoline for the quarter versus 18,940 b/d a year earlier, while distillate output increased to 57,138 b/d from 20,233 b/d, the company said.Other liquid products declined to 4,439 b/d for Q1, down from 6,324 b/d a year earlier, while solids output rose to 5,981 b/d from 1,321 b/d, CVR Energy said.Wynnewood refinery throughput for gathered crude declined to 58,154 b/d compared with 68,572 b/d a year earlier, the company added.Other domestic crude throughput increased to 11,556 b/d for the quarter, up from 573 b/d, the company said.Wynnewood produced 36,699 b/d of gasoline for Q1, compared with 39,740 b/d a year earlier, while distillate output rose to 30,343 b/d from 24,948 b/d, the company said.Other liquid products declined to 2,413 b/d from 5,058 b/d, while solids output remained largely unchanged at 10 b/d versus 11 b/d, CVR Energy said.Crude utilization reached 96.8% of capacity, compared with 52.7% a year earlier, reflecting improved operating performance across refining assets, the company said.For Q2, the company expects total refining throughput between 200,000 b/d and 215,000 b/d, with crude utilization projected at 92% to 99%, it said.

$CVI