Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Lower Pre-Bell Monday Amid AI Pullback
The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was down 0.6%, and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 1.5% lower in Monday's premarket activity as warnings from AI industry leaders weighed on technology shares.US stock futures were also lower, with S&P 500 Index futures down 0.6%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipping 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures retreating 1.5% before the start of regular trading.In premarket activity, bitcoin was up by 0.8%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.9% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) retreated 1.1%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) gained 0.7%.Power Play:TechnologyThe State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) retreated 2.5%, the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was flat, and the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was down 2%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) was inactive, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) fell by 5.6%.Elastic (ESTC) shares were up more than 7% in premarket activity after the company said Friday that it launched the serverless Elasticsearch Vector Database with optimized defaults to enable developers to create and ship vector search applications faster.Winners and Losers:Health CareThe State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) advanced 1%, the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was up 0.4%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was inactive. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was down 0.2%.Scholar Rock (SRRK) stock was 6% higher after the company said Friday it received US Food and Drug Administration approval for Isembyld to treat spinal muscular atrophy in certain patients aged two years and above.FinancialThe State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advanced 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.6%, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was flat.Baldwin Insurance Group (BWIN) shares traded up 6% after the company said it has entered into a definitive agreement through which an entity formed by Sequence Holdings and the Dell Family Office will acquire a majority interest in the company for about $7.70 billion in cash.IndustrialThe State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) retreated 1.4%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) were inactive.SpaceX (SPCX) shares were down more than 2% before the opening bell. The company's Chief Executive Elon Musk said Sunday on social media platform X that he is "highly confident" the company will launch Nvidia's (NVDA) Vera Rubin NLV72 artificial intelligence computers in space next year.EnergyThe iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) gained 0.9%, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) was up by 1.5%.Occidental Petroleum (OXY) stock was up more than 2% before market open after Wells Fargo lifted the company's price target to $82 from $79.ConsumerThe State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was up 1%, the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was inactive, and the iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was 0.3% higher. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) lost 0.5%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) were inactive.Kenvue (KVUE) and Kimberly-Clark (KMB) shares were up 1% after Reuters reported Kimberly-Clark is preparing potential asset sales to address EU antitrust concerns over its proposed acquisition of Kenvue.CommoditiesFront-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was up by 4.7% at $104.79 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was 2.3% higher at $2.90 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) rose 3.1%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) advanced 1.5%.Gold futures for November were down by 1.9% at $4,324.40 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures fell 2.5% to $63.57 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) decreased 1.8%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 2.3% lower.