So, the market's feeling a bit optimistic this morning. U.S. stock futures are ticking up in pre-market trading on Thursday, which is a nice follow-up to yesterday's session where the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite decided to set some new all-time highs. Investors are juggling a couple of things: growing hopes that Washington and Tehran might actually be getting somewhere diplomatically, and the usual Thursday morning buffet of earnings reports and economic data.
The sentiment got a noticeable lift from some comments by President Donald Trump. In an interview that aired Wednesday, he said the Iran conflict was "very close to over" and suggested Tehran was eager to strike a deal. It's the kind of headline that makes geopolitical risk desks breathe a little easier. Adding fuel to that fire, a White House official told CNBC that a second round of U.S.-Iran talks is under discussion, though no date is set yet. It's not a signed treaty, but it's enough to put a bit of a bid under risk assets.
Meanwhile, the earnings machine keeps churning. Before the opening bell, we're getting results from some big names: PepsiCo (PEP), Travelers (TRV), and Charles Schwab Corp (SCHW). On the economic data front, the weekly jobless claims and March's industrial production numbers are on deck. It's a classic Thursday.
In the bond market, things were relatively calm. The 10-year Treasury yield was sitting at 4.283%, with the two-year at 3.755%. And if you're wondering about the Fed, the market's message is pretty clear: don't expect any changes soon. The CME Group's FedWatch tool shows traders pricing in a 99.5% likelihood that the Federal Reserve leaves interest rates unchanged at its April meeting.
Here's a quick snapshot of how the major index futures were moving early Thursday:
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | 0.02% |
| S&P 500 | 0.03% |
| Nasdaq 100 | -0.09% |
| Russell 2000 | -0.10% |
The popular ETFs that track the big indices were also in the green pre-market. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.13% at $700.85, and the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ), which follows the Nasdaq 100, gained 0.34% to $639.55.
Stocks Making Moves Before the Bell
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC)
Shares of the chipmaking giant Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) were about 0.4% higher. The company reported a first-quarter profit that jumped 58% from a year ago, beating what Wall Street was expecting. Market data indicates TSM maintains a strong price trend across short, medium, and long-term timeframes, with solid growth and momentum scores.
Allbirds
Hold onto your hats—or your sneakers. Shares of Allbirds Inc (BIRD) were soaring in pre-market trading, up a staggering 387.55% to $12.14. Why the massive move? The company announced it's essentially reinventing itself, pivoting to become an AI compute infrastructure play. To back this up, it secured a new $50 million financing facility. It's a dramatic shift for the footwear brand. Market data shows BIRD maintains a strong price trend in the medium and long term following this news.
PepsiCo
PepsiCo (PEP) shares gained about 1% after the beverage and snack giant reported first-quarter results. Revenue came in at $19.44 billion, topping the $18.93 billion analysts expected. Adjusted earnings per share of $1.61 also beat the consensus estimate of $1.55. According to market data, PEP shows a strong price trend in the medium and long term with solid growth and quality scores, though it lags a bit in momentum and value.
Tesla
Tesla Inc (TSLA) extended its gains in pre-market trading, building on a nearly 8% surge in Wednesday's session. The continued optimism follows CEO Elon Musk touting progress on the company's next-generation AI5 chip. Market data indicates Tesla maintains a strong quality score, even as other metrics are weaker.
A Look Back at Wednesday's Session
Wednesday was a good day for stocks, led by tech. Tesla (TSLA) and Broadcom (AVGO) were among the leaders, each gaining about 4%. Banking and other tech stocks also contributed to the rally. Here's how the major indices finished:
| Index | Performance (+/-) | Value |
| Dow Jones | -0.15% | 48,463.72 |
| S&P 500 | 0.8% | 7,022.95 |
| Nasdaq Composite | 1.59% | 24,016.02 |
| Russell 2000 | 0.3% | 2,713.66 |
What's on the Economic Calendar
Here's what investors will be watching as the morning progresses:
- 8:30 AM ET: Initial jobless claims for the week ended April 11.
- 8:30 AM ET: The Philadelphia Fed manufacturing survey for April.
- 9:15 AM ET: March's capacity utilization and industrial production data.
Commodities, Crypto, and Global Markets
Over in the commodity pits, WTI crude oil futures were down about 1% in early New York trading, hovering around $92 per barrel. The international benchmark, Brent crude, was up 1.4% at $96.25 per barrel at last check.
Gold was on the rise, with the spot price up 0.44% to around $4,812.05 per ounce. Its all-time high stands at $5,595.46 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index, which measures the greenback against a basket of other currencies, was 0.16% higher at 98.2110.
In crypto, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading 1.11% higher over the last 24 hours at $74,814.77.
Globally, Asian markets closed mostly higher on Thursday. Japan's Nikkei 225 even touched a record high. Hong Kong's Hang Seng, South Korea's Kospi, and Mainland China's CSI 300 all posted gains. The exception was Australia's ASX 200, which fell after the release of labor market data. Over in Europe, most markets were trading in the green as of the latest check.
