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Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Higher Pre-Bell Friday Amid Employment Data

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The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.6% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.8% higher in Friday's premarket activity amid April's employment data release.

US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.5%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.3%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.7% before the start of regular trading.

The April employment report showed nonfarm payrolls rose by 115,000, above the 65,000 jobs increase expected in a survey compiled by Bloomberg, while March payrolls were revised up to a 185,000 increase and February payrolls were revised down to a 156,000 decrease.

The University of Michigan's preliminary consumer sentiment reading for May and the wholesale inventory data for March will be released at 10 am ET.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was up by 0.1%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.1% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) retreated by 0.3%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) fell 3%.

Power Play:

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) gained 1%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.7% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 0.7%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) advanced by 2.7%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 2%.

United Microelectronics (UMC) shares were down more than 3% in premarket activity after the company reported April sales of 22.66 billion New Taiwan dollars ($721.8 million), up 11% from a year earlier.

Winners and Losers:

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was up 0.2% and the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was up 0.7%. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) gained 0.5%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) were inactive.

Toyota Motor (TM) shares were down more than 1% pre-bell after the company reported lower fiscal 2026 earnings.

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) advanced 0.3%, the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was up 0.3%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) rose 2%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) gained 0.5%.

Tempus AI (TEM) stock was up more than 1% premarket after the company said it priced its upsized private placement of $400 million of 0% convertible senior notes due May 15, 2032.

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advanced 0.3%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.8%, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was 0.7% lower.

Goldman Sachs BDC (GSBD) shares were down more than 1% pre-bell after the company reported lower Q1 adjusted net investment income and total investment income.

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) advanced 0.6%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was flat and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was 1.1% higher.

Ferrovial (FER) stock was up more than 1% before the opening bell after the company reported higher Q1 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and revenue.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was inactive, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) retreated by 0.02%.

Scorpio Tankers (STNG) stock was down more than 1% before the opening bell after the company said it plans to offer $150 million of 1.75% convertible senior notes due 2031 via a private placement.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil gained by 0.1% to reach $94.92 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was up 0.2% at $2.77 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) fell by 1.3%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 0.1% lower.

Gold futures for May gained by 0.4% to reach $4,728.60 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures advanced by 1.1% to $81.09 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) was 0.1% higher, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) rose by 1.8%.

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Commodities

Enel Q1 Power Generation Rises as Thermal Output Offsets Hydro Decline

Enel reported Q1 earnings Thursday, showing total production of 51.1 terawatt-hours, up 1.8% from 50.2 TWh a year earlier.Total renewables production stayed roughly the same at 31.7 TWh, while nuclear generation declined 4.4% to 6.8 TWh in Q1 from 7.1 TWh a year earlier.The company reported a 5.3% decline in hydro generation to 13.8 TWh, compared with 14.6 TWh a year earlier.Total wind generation rose 4.3% to 11.9 TWh for the quarter, up from 11.4 TWh a year earlier.Generation from solar and others was 4.8 TWh, up from 4.4 TWh a year earlier, while geothermal production for the quarter was down 1.9% to 1.3 TWh.Total thermal generation climbed 17.1% to 9.2 TWh for the quarter ended March 31, up from 7.9 TWh a year earlier.Coal generation fell 74% to 123 gigawatt-hours, while combined-cycle gas turbine generation was up 28.5% to 7.8 TWh. Oil and gas generation declined 2% to 1.3 TWh.Enel generated 25.5 TWh of electricity in Europe during Q1, led by 16.9 TWh in Iberia and 8.6 TWh in Italy.Generation in the US reached 7.1 TWh during the quarter, while Canadian operations produced 0.4 TWh.Latin America and other markets generated 14.8 TWh in Q1, including 5.4 TWh in Chile, 4.4 TWh in Colombia and Central America and 3.7 TWh in Brazil.Total electricity distributed in Q1 was 120.9 TWh, up from 117.4 TWh a year earlier, as Italy's distribution volumes rose to 53.3 TWh from 51.8 TWh a year earlier.Electricity distribution in the Iberia segment increased to 35.8 TWh in Q1 from 34.4 TWh a year earlier, while Latin America distribution volumes rose to 31.9 TWh from 31.2 TWh.Total electricity sales declined to 59.2 TWh in Q1 from 63.8 TWh a year earlier.Gas sales declined to 2.4 billion cubic meters in Q1 from 2.5 bcm a year earlier, while total gas customers remained broadly stable at 5.7 million.

Commodities

US Natural Gas Update: Futures Rise on Small Storage Injection

US natural gas futures erased early losses and maintained higher prices in after-hours trade on Thursday after government data showed a smaller-than-expected increase in domestic gas inventories, triggering short covering and reinforcing expectations that the spring supply-demand balance may be tightening modestly.Both the front-month Henry Hub futures and the continuous contract rose 1.90% to $2.782 per million British thermal units.The US Energy Information Administration said natural gas inventories for the week ended May 1 rose by 63 billion cubic feet, below analyst expectations for a 72-80 Bcf build and under the five-year average increase of 77 Bcf for the week.The bullish storage surprise prompted buying in front-month contracts after futures had traded lower ahead of the report, Barchart said.Despite the smaller injection, supply levels remain ample. US gas inventories were 2.8% above year-ago levels and 6.7% above the five-year seasonal average.The Energy Buyers Guide said the market will likely be focused on "whether this storage miss was a one-off or a harbinger of a more durable shift in the underlying fundamental balance".Analysts at Gelber & Associates said the price lift "reinforced the idea that the spring balance is not quite as loose as consensus had assumed," the firm said, adding that the market still viewed the move as a near-term adjustment rather than the start of a sustained rally, noting that elevated inventories continue to limit upside potential for winter contracts."The rally is doing more to firm up summer risk than to meaningfully reprice next winter when storage remains above the five-year average," the firm said.Analysts also pointed to competing forces in the broader market, with strong LNG exports supporting prices while robust domestic production continues to weigh on sentiment.According to Barchart, citing data from BNEF, US lower-48 dry gas production on Thursday was estimated at 110.9 Bcf per day, up 4.5% from a year earlier. Demand across the lower 48 states was estimated at 71.0 Bcf/d, up 10.2% year over year.Flows to US LNG export terminals were estimated at 17.7 Bcf/d, down 5.9% from the prior week due to maintenance slowdowns.Gelber said the market can pop on a bullish storage surprise but still "needs either sustained heat, a more persistent slowdown in supply growth, or a string of smaller injections to make the move stick beyond the near-term contracts."

Commodities

Market Chatter: $7 Billion Oil Bets Placed Ahead of Trump's Iran Announcements Spark Scrutiny

Oil market bets totaling as much as $7 billion were placed ahead of major Iran-related announcements by US President Donald Trump in March and April, a Reuters analysis of exchange data, published Thursday, showed, raising fresh scrutiny over possible insider trading.The trades, spread across crude, diesel and gasoline futures on the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), far exceed previously reported positions worth about $2.6 billion.Reuters said it could not determine who placed the trades or whether they originated in the US or abroad.The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating the activity, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters in April, but has not publicly confirmed a probe.Separately, ABC News reported Thursday that the US Department of Justice is also investigating oil trades linked to the Iran conflict.The trades involved short positions that profited from sharp declines in oil prices following Trump's announcements on Iran. Traders first identified unusual activity on March 23, minutes before Trump delayed and threatened attacks on Iranian power infrastructure, sending oil prices sharply lower.Similar trading patterns appeared on April 7, before Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran; on April 17, before Iranian officials discussed reopening the Strait of Hormuz; and again on April 21, before Trump extended the ceasefire.In response to' request for comment, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said, "All federal employees are subject to government ethics guidelines that prohibit the use of nonpublic information for financial benefit."He added that any implication that administration officials "are engaged in such activity without evidence is baseless and irresponsible reporting."Reuters' expanded analysis found coordinated sell orders across Brent and West Texas Intermediate crude futures, as well as European diesel and US gasoline contracts, often executed within minutes of key announcements.It found that on March 23 alone, traders sold roughly $2.2 billion in oil and fuel futures contracts shortly before Trump's announcement. Oil prices later fell by over 10%, while fuel prices dropped by about 12%.Reuters cited information from Adi Imsirovic, a veteran oil trader and associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who said the trades appeared "well informed" and noted regulators could trace the activity through exchange data.ICE, CME, the Justice Department, and the CFTC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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