Thursday morning brought a mixed bag for U.S. stock futures, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures dipping slightly while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures eked out modest gains. It's the kind of morning where the market can't quite decide which way to go, waiting for the next piece of economic data to give it a nudge.

That nudge could come later today when the Labor Department releases its weekly jobless claims report. It's one of those high-frequency indicators that traders watch like hawks for any early signs of cracks in the labor market. Then on Friday, we get the producer price index for January, which will give us another read on inflation. Meanwhile, bond yields were relatively calm, with the 10-year Treasury yielding 4.05% and the two-year at 3.47%. The market is pricing in a near-certainty (98% according to the CME FedWatch tool) that the Federal Reserve will hold rates steady at its March meeting.

Here's how the major index futures were shaping up early Thursday:

The ETFs that track the broader market were also inching higher. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.030% at $693.36 in premarket trading, while the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ), which tracks the Nasdaq 100, advanced 0.055% to $616.76.

Stocks on the Move

While the broader market was quiet, there was plenty of action in individual names, driven mostly by earnings and guidance.

Nvidia: The AI Juggernaut Keeps Rolling

Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) was up 1.28% in premarket trading, continuing its seemingly unstoppable run. The chipmaker reported fourth-quarter financial results that beat expectations and, more importantly, issued first-quarter sales guidance that came in above what analysts were looking for. It's the classic "beat and raise" that investors love. Market data indicates NVDA maintains a strong price trend across short, medium, and long timeframes, though its value score is considered weak. In other words, everyone loves the growth story, but you're paying a premium for it.

Salesforce: A Good Quarter Isn't Always Enough

Over in the software world, Salesforce Inc. (CRM) was moving in the opposite direction, dropping 3.94% despite reporting upbeat earnings. The problem? Its future estimates fell short of Wall Street's expectations. It's a reminder that in this market, a good past isn't as important as a promising future. Market data shows CRM has a weak price trend across all time horizons but a moderate growth score.

Trade Desk: Guidance Spooks Investors

The sell-off was even more dramatic for Trade Desk Inc. (TTD), which tumbled 16.69%. The digital advertising platform issued disappointing first-quarter guidance, expecting revenue to be "more than $678 million." That fell short of the analyst consensus estimate of $689.48 million. When you're a growth stock, missing on guidance is the cardinal sin. Market data ranks TTD with a weak price trend and a poor quality score.

Other Notables

Dell Technologies Inc. (DELL) was down 0.38% ahead of its earnings report after the market close. Analysts were expecting earnings of $3.53 per share on revenue of $31.75 billion. Market data shows a strong price trend for Dell in the short and long term, but a weak trend in the medium term, with a moderate value score.

Driven Brands Holdings Inc. (DRVN) fell 5.09% after the company called off its earnings release. The reason? It cited "material errors" in its financial statements for fiscal years 2023 and 2024. That's the kind of announcement that tends to make investors hit the sell button first and ask questions later. Market data indicates DRVN has a weak price trend across all timeframes and a poor quality score.

Looking Back at Wednesday's Session

To understand where we are, it helps to remember where we just came from. On Wednesday, the market finished strong, led by technology and financial stocks. The Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.26%, the S&P 500 gained 0.81%, and the Dow rose 0.63%. Not all sectors participated, however; consumer staples, real estate, and industrials ended the day lower.

The Big Picture from BlackRock

So what's the professional money thinking? According to the latest commentary from asset management giant BlackRock, the firm remains overweight on U.S. equities. Their thesis is pretty straightforward: they see a "favorable macro backdrop" thanks to "continued Federal Reserve easing, broad economic optimism and less policy uncertainty."

Yes, everyone is "laser-focused on the AI buildout," but BlackRock believes U.S. stocks have other things going for them, like "strong corporate earnings" and resilient profit margins. On the economy, they anticipate "steady growth and inflation that could drift below 2%."

They're less enthusiastic about government bonds, staying underweight on long-dated U.S. Treasuries. Their view is that "long-dated U.S. Treasuries no longer provide portfolio ballast" because of high debt-servicing costs and rising term premia. In plain English, they don't think long-term bonds are the safe haven they used to be.

On trade policy, BlackRock views the landscape as stable despite some legal shifts. After a recent Supreme Court ruling on emergency tariff powers, they noted the "decision doesn't change the administration's focus on trade as central to its economic and strategic policy."

The bottom line from BlackRock: while AI is the main character right now, investors should also keep an eye on "mega forces" like geopolitical fragmentation, which could create new investment opportunities outside of the tech sector.

What's on Tap for Thursday

All eyes will be on the economic calendar at 8:30 a.m. ET for the release of initial jobless claims for the week ending February 21.

Around the Markets

In other asset classes, crude oil futures were down 0.83% to around $64.88 per barrel. Gold was up 0.33% to about $5,182.08 per ounce, still below its record high of $5,595.46. The U.S. Dollar Index was essentially flat.

In the crypto world, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading 4.26% higher at $68,299.92.

Globally, Asian markets mostly closed higher on Thursday, with the notable exceptions of Hong Kong's Hang Seng and China's CSI 300 indices. European markets were mixed in early trading.