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Exchange-Traded Funds Higher, Equity Futures Mixed Pre-Bell Thursday Amid Latest Economic Reports

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The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.3%, and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) advanced 0.4% in Thursday's premarket activity, amid the latest economic reports.

US stock futures were mixed, with S&P 500 Index futures rose 0.4%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.5%, and Nasdaq futures retreating 0.5% before the start of regular trading.

US initial jobless claims fell to 215,000 from 216,000 in the prior week, coming in below economists' expectations of 218,000.

US nonfarm payrolls increased by 57,000 in June, well below expectations for a gain of 113,000 and down from a revised 129,000 increase in May, while the unemployment rate edged down to 4.2% from 4.3%, beating forecasts for no change.

May's factory orders report will be released at 10 am ET, followed by the weekly EIA natural gas report at 10:30 am ET.

The weekly Baker Hughes oil-and-gas rig count will be released at 1 pm ET.

In premarket action, bitcoin was up by 1.8%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 2.7% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) advanced 2.8%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) retreated by 2.8%.

Power Play:

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was up 0.4%, the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was flat, and the iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) increased by 0.5%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) were inactive.

Alibaba (BABA) shares were down more than 1% pre-bell after gaining 2.1% at Wednesday's close. The US Department of Justice said Wednesday that the company and its US-based payment processor, AUS Merchant Services, agreed to pay a combined $600 million to resolve US allegations over illegal product sales on the company's e-commerce platforms.

Winners and Losers:

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advanced 0.7%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 1.8%, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was 1.7% lower.

UBS Group AG (UBS) shares traded up 3.4% in early hours activity after the Financial Times reported that the company plans to begin testing everyday banking services for its US employees as early as December, laying the groundwork for a full-service bank targeting wealthy American clients by mid-2027.

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) retreated by 0.1%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was inactive and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was flat.

Forgent Power Solutions (FPS) stock was down more than 2% before the opening bell after the company priced an upsized public offering of its class A common shares at $49 each.

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) advanced 0.6%, the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was flat, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was inactive. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was 0.9% higher.

Novartis (NVS) stock was up more than 1% premarket after the company received European Commission approval for its gene replacement treatment, Itvisma, to treat spinal muscular atrophy in patients aged 2 and older.

Energy

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

TotalEnergies (TTE) stock advanced more than 1% before the opening bell after the company agreed to sell its 85% interest in Block 2E offshore Malaysia to INPEX for $350 million.

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) retreated 0.9%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.7% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) down 1.9%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) declined by 1.2%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 1.9%.

Nvidia (NVDA) shares were down 0.4% in premarket activity, extending losses from the previous day's 1.3% fall. The company said it is expanding access to its artificial intelligence infrastructure by introducing a revenue-sharing model that grants token credits to developers in exchange for a portion of the recurring earnings from the cloud networks.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil retreated by 1.8% to $67.31 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was down by 1.2% to $3.18 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) declined by 1%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 0.7% lower.

Gold futures for July were up by 1.1% to $4,129.62 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures was up by 2.3% to $61.89 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) advanced by 2.3%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 3.6% higher.

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Commodities

China's 2026 LNG Demand Outlook Weakens as Industrial Consumption Slows, Kpler Says

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Commodities

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