Nasdaq futures indicated a positive opening on Thursday, driven by a significant rise in tech shares following record earnings reported by AI chipmaking leader TSMC. Concurrently, oil prices experienced a decline as President Donald Trump moderated the potential for a U.S. military intervention in Iran. Futures for the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Dow Jones Industrial Average exhibited increases of 0.8%, 0.3%, and 0.1%, respectively. Early Thursday, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. reported fourth-quarter profit increased 35% year-over-year. U.S.-listed shares of the world’s largest contract chipmaker experienced a notable increase of 6.5% prior to market opening, while shares of Dutch semiconductor-equipment manufacturer ASML, which derives significant business from TSMC, rose by 6%.
Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, declined by over 3% to $60 a barrel following President Donald Trump’s suggestion yesterday afternoon that he might refrain from military action against Iran, a threat he had issued earlier in the week. Yesterday, the tech-heavy Nasdaq, benchmark S&P 500, and blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average concluded lower for a second consecutive session as bank earnings season commenced. JPMorgan Chase stock has declined 5% over the past two days following the release of its fourth-quarter figures, while shares of its rivals Citigroup, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo experienced significant declines yesterday after announcing their own fourth-quarter results.
BlackRock and Goldman Sachs shares advanced a respective 1.5% and less than 1% in premarket trading after they reported Q4 results. Morgan Stanley was also set to release earnings before the bell. Shares of Nvidia, the world’s most valuable public company, rebounded about 1% after slipping 1.4% Wednesday as the Trump administration stated it must meet new security requirements before exporting its H200 AI chips to China. Gold futures declined to $4,620 an ounce following their recent peak reached yesterday. Silver futures reached a new high of $93.75 an ounce early Thursday, yet experienced a decline of nearly 1%, trading at $90.65 in recent transactions.
The 10-year Treasury yield, a key determinant of interest rates across a range of commercial and consumer loans, has recently been observed trading above 4.15%, an increase from Wednesday’s closing figure of below 4.14%. Bitcoin was trading at approximately $96,600, experiencing a minor decline from the day’s peak of roughly $97,700. The U.S. dollar index, which monitors the value of the greenback relative to a selection of foreign currencies, remained relatively stable at 99.17.