Nasdaq futures jumped 1.7% on Thursday, as a surge in Meta Platforms shares after its strong results eased pressure on growth and technology stocks that have been battered on concerns about rising interest rates.
The Facebook-parent rose 15% in premarket trading after it reported a stronger-than-expected profit and the social-networking site eked out user growth.read more
Other megacap stocks such as Apple Inc, Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc and Tesla Inc rose between 1.4% and 2.2%.
Gross domestic product unexpectedly declined 1.4% in the first quarter, marking an abrupt reversal for an economy coming off its best performance since 1984, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
The negative growth rate missed even the subdued Dow Jones estimate of a 1% gain for the quarter.
A plethora of factors conspired to weigh against growth during the first three months of 2022.
U.S. initial jobless claims fall 5,000 to 180,000 in latest week.
Market Snapshot
At 08:35 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were up 181 points, or 0.54%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 47 points, or 1.12%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 214.25 points, or 1.65%.
Pre-Market Movers
Meta Platforms —— Shares of Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc. surged 15% during pre-market hours Thursday, a day after reporting its main platform added more users than projected in the first quarter, potentially staving off concerns that the company is losing momentum as a new generation flocks to younger sites like TikTok.
Qualcomm —— Qualcomm Inc forecast third-quarter revenue above analyst expectations after beating second quarter revenue and profit estimates on Wednesday, largely due to its move to focus on a growing non-handset business to cushion a likely hit from slowing smartphone demand. Qualcomm shares rose about 6% in premarket trading Thursday.
Teladoc Health —— Shares of Teladoc Health Inc. plunged 43% in premarket trading Thursday, after the telemedicine company took an impairment charge of more than $6.5 billion and slashed its full-year outlook.
Twitter —— Twitter just reported earnings for the first quarter of 2022, in what could be one of its last reports as a public company after its board agreed to sell to Elon Musk for $44 billion. Shares of Twitter were up about 0.9% during premarket trading.
PayPal —— PayPal Holdings Inc.’s vow to rein in costs and push to boost profits cheered investors even after executives lowered targets for the firm’s performance this year. PayPal shares gained 3.2% in premarket trading.
Pinterest —— Pinterest Inc's first-quarter revenue and profit surpassed market estimates on Wednesday as the image-sharing platform benefited from higher ad spending by businesses, sending its shares about 8% higher in premarket trading Thursday.
McDonald’s —— McDonald’s on Thursday reported better-than-expected revenue, fueled by price hikes in the U.S. and strong international sales growth. McDonald’s shares climbed 2% in premarket trading.
Southwest Airlines —— Southwest Airlines Co reported a smaller adjusted quarterly loss on Thursday and said it expects to be "solidly profitable" for the year as a rebound in travel helped it offset disruptions in January due to the Omicron coronavirus variant. Southwest Airlines shares climbed 3% in premarket trading.
Eli Lilly —— The drug maker's shares gained 3.5% in premarket trading after the company reported results from a clinical trial showing its obesity drug tirzepatide helped patients lose up to 22.5% of their weight. Eli Lilly also reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter and boosted its full-year revenue guidance.
Comcast —— Comcast reported first-quarter earnings Thursday that beat analyst estimates on the top and bottom lines. While Comcast shares fell more than 1% in premarket trading.
ServiceNow —— ServiceNow Inc.’s stock jumped more than 8% in premarket trading Thursday after the software company reported fiscal first-quarter revenue that topped Wall Street forecasts.
Nokia —— Telecom equipment maker Nokia reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results on Thursday, helped by demand for 5G gear despite supply chain constraints and higher prices of components. Nokia shares rose 3% in premarket trading.
Caterpillar —— Shares of the global construction machine maker slid more than 1% despite Caterpillar beating top- and bottom-line estimates during the first quarter. The company earned $2.88 per share excluding items on $13.59 billion in revenue. Analysts were expecting the company to earn $2.60 per share on $13.4 billion in sales, according to estimates compiled by Refinitiv.
Market News
Meta’s Facebook Returns to User Growth
Facebook rebounded from a drop in users early this year and its parent Meta posted a profit ahead of Wall Street targets, defying low investor expectations with a quarterly report.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also said that the company would scale back costs and was investing in artificial intelligence tools to improve recommendations and ads, a sign Meta is buckling down to make money while working on its long-term ambitions to build the metaverse.
Mcdonald’s Revenue Tops Estimates, Fueled by Price Hikes and Overseas SamE-store Sales Growth
McDonald's Corp beat estimates for quarterly sales and profit on Thursday as the world's largest fast-food chain benefited from price increases in the United States and the launch of a new loyalty program.
Rising wages due to a tight labor market and soaring costs of ingredients such as chicken and beef have forced U.S. restaurant chains to announce a series of price hikes, which have seen little resistance from consumers so far.
VW Mulls Expanding U.S. Plant to Build ID.Buzz, Electric Pickup
Volkswagen is considering an expansion of its Chattanooga plant in the United States to produce an electric pick-up and the new ID.Buzz microbus, a source close to the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
The move would help the German automaker grow its market share in North America.
Moderna Asks FDA to Clear Its Covid-19 Vaccine for Young Children
Moderna Inc. has asked U.S. health regulators to authorize the use of its Covid-19 vaccine in children ages 6 months to 5 years old.
The company said Thursday that it had submitted the request after a study showed the shot safely induced immune responses in the young age group.
If the regulators agree, one of the last remaining age groups still not eligible for Covid-19 vaccination in the U.S.—children under 5 years—could begin to receive the shots by summer.