-- The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.4% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) advanced 0.5% in Thursday's premarket activity, amid optimistic big tech earnings reports and a deluge of economic data.
US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.4%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.6%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.5% before the start of regular trading.
Reports releasing at 8:30 am ET include the Q1 gross domestic product (GDP) from Washington, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE)-core inflation report for March, the weekly jobless claims bulletin, and the Q1 Employment Cost Index.
The April Chicago PMI posts at 9:45 am, followed by the February leading indicators report at 10 am, and the weekly natural gas stocks at 10:30 am ET.
In premarket action, bitcoin was down by 0.7%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.7% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) advanced 1.4%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was flat.
Power Play:
Financial
The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) retreated by 0.5%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was down 1.5%, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was up 1.9%.
Willis Towers Watson (WTW) shares were down more than 9% pre-bell after the company reported higher Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.
Winners and Losers:
Health Care
The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) advanced 1.2%, the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was 1.1% higher, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) was up 0.7%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) gained 0.2%.
Eli Lilly (LLY) stock was up more than 7% premarket after the company reported higher Q1 non-GAAP earnings and revenue.
Technology
The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) gained by 0.4%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 1% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was up 1.7%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) rose 2%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) advanced by 1.3%.
Alphabet's (GOOG, GOOGL) shares were up 7% in Thursday's premarket activity after the tech giant reported overnight Q1 earnings and sales above market expectations.
Industrial
The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) advanced 0.5%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) was up 1.6% and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) gained 0.4%.
Caterpillar (CAT) stock was up more than 5% before the opening bell after the company reported higher Q1 adjusted profit and revenue.
Consumer
The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was down 0.3%, the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was 0.2% lower, and the iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) retreated 0.1%. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) was up 0.6%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) gained 0.03%, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) declined by 0.6%.
Unilever (UL) shares were up more than 2% pre-bell after the company said its Q1 underlying sales grew by 3.8%.
Energy
The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was down 0.9%, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) declined by 1.1%.
ConocoPhillips (COP) stock was down more than 2% before the opening bell after the company reported lower Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue.
Commodities
Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell by 2.3% to $104.44 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas retreated by 1.4% to $2.61 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) decreased by 2.6%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 1.5% lower.
Gold futures for May were up by 1.8% to $4,641.80 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures rose by 2.6% to $73.96 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) was 1.9% higher, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) gained by 2.7%.