01 Stock Market
As of May 7, U.S. stock index futures performed as follows: Dow-linked contracts firmed by 0.11%, S&P 500 minis added 0.09%, and Nasdaq 100 futures edged up 0.03%, suggesting a cautiously positive start as investors sift through another wave of corporate results and geopolitical headlines.
Notable Stock Movers: TSLA up 1.89% at $406.25 after upbeat commentary on EV demand; display-chip maker HIMX up 20.53% at $14.86 on stronger-than-expected guidance; e-commerce logistics firm GCT up 6.90% at $48.09 following robust revenue growth; and semiconductor bellwether NVDA up 0.11% at $208.05, extending its recent AI-driven momentum.
Early trading also shows brisk interest in leveraged thematic products: the semiconductor-focused SOXL saw heavy pre-opening volumes, while silver-linked AGQ advanced alongside a jump in precious-metal prices. Overall, pre-bell activity centers on firms with AI exposure, clean-tech materials, and consumer resilience themes ahead of a packed earnings slate.
02 Other Markets
• 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell 0.37%, to 4.34%.
• U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.13% to 97.89.
• WTI crude oil futures fell 3.25% to 91.99 USD/barrel; COMEX gold futures rose 1.18% to 4 749.70 USD/ounce.
03 Key News
1. McDonald’s reported higher profit and revenue, boosting pre-market shares. Adjusted earnings reached $2.83 per share and sales hit $6.52 billion, both surpassing analyst estimates. Management credited value-focused promotions for sustaining traffic despite elevated food costs.
2. Himax Technologies delivered a revenue beat and lifted second-quarter guidance. The display-chip specialist saw first-quarter sales finish at the upper end of forecasts and now targets a 10%–13% sequential increase, propelling its stock sharply higher in pre-trade dealings.
3. Albemarle’s quarterly profit more than doubled on strong lithium pricing. Rising demand from electric-vehicle and storage markets outpaced supply constraints, prompting the world’s largest lithium producer to raise its full-year outlook and sending its shares higher before the bell.
4. Snap signaled advertising headwinds and scrapped a planned AI partnership, driving shares lower. The social-media firm cited Middle East conflict pressures and North American revenue softness, while terminating a $400 million deal with Perplexity AI to refocus on core monetization initiatives.
5. Arm Holdings guided first-quarter revenue above expectations but flagged supply challenges for a new data-center chip. While licensing demand remains strong, executives acknowledged uncertainty about fulfilling second-billion-dollar orders, tempering an initial post-earnings rally.
6. DoorDash exceeded profit estimates and projected robust order growth. Expanded grocery and international offerings underpinned guidance for higher gross order value, reinforcing confidence in the delivery platform’s diversified strategy.
7. Shell topped consensus with $6.92 billion in adjusted earnings and trimmed share buybacks. The energy major cited war-related output disruptions but maintained capital discipline by reducing its quarterly repurchase program to $3 billion.
8. Rare Earths Americas completed a $63 million IPO and began trading on U.S. exchanges. The development-stage miner targets heavy rare-earth elements crucial for permanent magnets in AI hardware, giving investors fresh exposure to strategic minerals.
9. Hut 8 secured a 15-year lease worth up to $25.1 billion to supply computing power for an unidentified investment-grade client. The deal accelerates the crypto miner’s pivot toward AI data-center infrastructure, triggering its sharpest share jump since 2021.
10. Crypto exchange OKX announced plans to launch perpetual futures linked to private-company valuations such as OpenAI and SpaceX. The derivatives will allow traders to speculate on secondary-market pricing without stock ownership, expanding crypto-based instruments into late-stage venture equity.
Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, Tiger Newspress, public market data
Disclaimer: For informational purposes only; not investment advice.
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