US Equity Indexes Mixed in Midday Trading as Tech Takes Beating

UK Shares Rise; HSBC, StanChart Fall Amid New China Rules

London's FTSE 100 closed 0.27% in the green on Thursday as Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon continued, hours after the US brokered a ceasefire between the two countries.Israel will continue to attack Lebanon for the time being, Reuters reported, citing Defense Minister Israel Katz. The ceasefire is conditional on a suspension of attacks from Hezbollah, which has rejected the plan, according to the news outlet.On the economic front, Britain's construction sector activity contracted at its fastest pace in six years in May amid weaker orders and heightened economic uncertainty, S&P Global said. The UK Construction PMI fell to 38.2 from 39.7 in April, below the 40.2 consensus estimate, extending the sector's contraction streak to 17 months."Concerns about a prolonged decline in construction order books, alongside unfavourable near-term UK economic prospects, weighed on business optimism in May. This index has fallen sharply since the start of 2026, and confidence levels are now almost as low as those seen ahead of last autumn's Budget," S&P Global Market Intelligence Economics Director Tim Moore said.On the upside, the UK's new car registrations climbed 7.1% year over year to 160,662 units in May, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. SMMT said the latest reading reflects the best recorded for the month since 2019 due to the resurgence of private buyers, though it remains 12.6% behind pre-pandemic levels.In corporate news, Rio Tinto Group (RIO.L) dropped 2.79% on the blue-chip index after RBC Capital Markets downgraded the stock to underperform."Rio Tinto has benefitted from a strong flight to quality YTD (+8% since the conflict began) as fears mount around industry costs/availability of key inputs," analysts wrote. "However, with exception of aluminium (28% of EBITDA), it is difficult to see further upside in the commodity basket given the warning signs in the Chinese economy. Furthermore, we would not be surprised to see further expensive corporate action as they seek to bolster copper exposure."Meanwhile, Prudential plc (PRU.L), Standard Chartered (STAN.L) and HSBC (HSBA.L) lost 7.60%, 2.81% and 1.80%, respectively, after the South China Morning Post reported that mainland Chinese residents were facing tighter restrictions on opening offshore accounts at major Hong Kong banks, weighing on financial institutions with exposure to China.

US Equity Futures Mixed Pre-Bell as Broadcom Stock Falls, Clashes Continue in Middle East

US equity futures were mixed pre-bell Thursday as traders watched tech giant Broadcom (AVGO) stock drop after the company posted its fiscal Q2 financial results and attacks continued in the Middle East.Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.6% higher, S&P 500 futures were down 0.5%, and Nasdaq futures were 1.4% lower.Broadcom shares were down 15% in premarket activity as the company issued below-consensus guidance for fiscal Q3 AI-chip revenue.Kuwait reported that an Iranian missile and drone strike hit the country's international airport, killing one person and injuring dozens more. Iran claimed that it launched a retaliatory attack on US military bases in Kuwait after an earlier set of airstrikes by US forces.Traders also digested the latest round of earnings, with CrowdStrike (CRWD) posting higher fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.Oil prices were lower, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude down 2.7% at $95.16 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 2.7% lower at $93.43 per barrel.The weekly jobless claims bulletin, scheduled for release at 8:30 am ET, is expected to show 215,000 new unemployment claims for the week ended May 30, unchanged from the prior week, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The Q1 nonfarm productivity report is expected to show an annual gain of 0.4% after a 0.8% increase in the prior quarter. Unit labor costs are projected to rise 2.4%, compared with 2.3% previously.Federal Reserve Richmond President Thomas Barkin and San Francisco President Mary Daly are slated to speak on Thursday.

Gold Futures Rise 0.7% to $4,498.3/Oz, Silver Futures Edge Up 0.1% to $73.75/Oz Early Thursday