The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was down 0.4%, and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) retreated 0.8% in Thursday's premarket activity, amid uncertainty in the Middle East and upcoming Trump-Xi talks.
US stock futures were down, with S&P 500 Index futures down 0.5%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipping 0.3%, and Nasdaq futures losing 0.9% before the start of regular trading.
New home sales data for August are due to be released at 10 am ET, followed by the Kansas City Fed's manufacturing reading for September at 11 am ET.
In premarket action, bitcoin was down by 1.2%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.3% lower, Ether ETF (EETH) dropped 1.1%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was flat.
Power Play:
Consumer
The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was 0.7% higher, the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was inactive, and the iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) lost 0.05%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) was down 0.4%.
Honda Motor (HMC) shares were up over 1.9% pre-bell after the company was reported to be in the final stage of talks to establish a hybrid vehicle plant in the US for 300 billion yen ($1.90 billion) to 400 billion yen, Nikkei Asia reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.
Winners and Losers:
Health Care
The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) advanced 0.3%, while the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT), the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH), and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) were inactive.
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals (ACAD) shares were down more than 4.8% premarket after the company reported that its phase 2 Radiant study of remlifanserin for Alzheimer's disease psychosis missed its primary endpoint.
Financial
The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advanced 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.2%, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was 0.2% lower.
Brighthouse Financial (BHF) shares traded up over 2% in early hours activity after the company's potential acquisition by Sixth Street was reported to have been revived as another merger deal is delayed by regulatory review, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Industrial
The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) dropped 0.7%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) were inactive.
Vertiv (VRT) shares were down 3.1% before the opening bell after the company said it agreed to acquire King Environmental Services, a Europe-based provider of services for liquid-cooled data centers, with the deal scheduled to close in Q4.
Technology
The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) retreated 1.3%, the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 1.3% lower, and the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was inactive. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) was 1.6% lower, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) retreated by 2.2%.
Meta Platforms (META) shares were down 1.1% in premarket activity after the company said it plans to release its new Meta VR Glasses in spring 2027 for $1,299.99 and expand its artificial intelligence eyewear lineup.
Energy
The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was inactive, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) was up by 1.1%.
Valero (VLO) shares were up over 1.4% before market open after its top executives from the company, Chevron (CVX), Phillips 66 (PSX), and ExxonMobil (XOM), were reported to be pushing back against President Donald Trump's proposal to ban diesel exports, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Commodities
Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose by 0.9% to $91.33 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was down 0.5% to $2.98 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) increased by 1.2%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 0.7% lower.
Gold futures for November retreated by 0.8% to $4,339.70 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures lost 1.4% to $65.57 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) was down by 0.1%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) fell by 1.1%.