Nasdaq futures indicated a positive start on Thursday, following the Federal Reserve’s decision to maintain interest rates, as investors considered a range of corporate earnings announcements, notably from three of the Magnificent Seven technology companies. Meanwhile, gold and silver futures reached new all-time highs. Futures for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 increased by 0.2% each, whereas those linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose by 0.1%. Safe-haven gold and silver futures maintained their upward trajectory on Thursday. A day after exceeding $5,300 an ounce, gold experienced a significant increase, reaching nearly $5,600, and was recently observed trading up 4% to above $5,525. Silver experienced an increase of 5%, reaching approximately $119 per ounce after surpassing the $120 mark earlier in the day. West Texas Intermediate crude futures, the U.S. benchmark, experienced an increase of 2.5%, reaching approximately $64.75 per barrel in the context of escalating U.S.-Iran tensions.

Yesterday, major equities indexes concluded the day with minimal fluctuations after the Federal Reserve, as anticipated, maintained interest rates within the range of 3% to 3.75%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq concluded the day with a gain of 0.3%, whereas the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average and the benchmark S&P 500 recorded marginal increases and decreases, respectively. Notably, the S&P 500 reached the 7000 threshold for the first time before finishing just below that mark. After the closing bell Wednesday, Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and Tesla—each a member of the Magnificent Seven group of major technology companies—reported quarterly results. Meta shares experienced a 9% increase in premarket trading, while Tesla shares rose approximately 2.5%, as the companies’ results exceeded Wall Street expectations. Microsoft’s shares declined by 6.5%, even though the company surpassed analysts’ expectations for both revenue and earnings, as concerns over decelerating growth in its cloud segment dampened market sentiment.

Today, Apple will report its results. The manufacturer of the iPhone, part of the Mag 7 cohort, is anticipated to announce unprecedented revenue figures for its fiscal first quarter. Apple shares, which indicated a modest increase prior to the market opening, commenced the day approximately 11% lower than their early December peaks, which were driven by optimistic indicators regarding the global smartphone market and the demand for the iPhone 17. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq were led yesterday by technology companies Seagate Technology Holdings, Intel, Western Digital, and Texas Instruments, which experienced respective increases of 19%, 11%, 11%, and 10%. Seagate and Western Digital experienced an uptick in share prices prior to the market opening, whereas Intel and Texas Instruments saw a decline. In the aftermath of earnings announcements, shares of IBM, Southwest Airlines, Lockheed Martin, Caterpillar, and Honeywell International experienced increases of 9%, 5.5%, 5.5%, 1%, and less than 1%, respectively, while one stock saw a decline of 1%. Mastercard was also set to report results.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences interest rates across various consumer loans such as mortgages, stood at 4.25%, showing minimal variation from Wednesday’s closing value. The U.S. dollar index, which measures the value of the greenback against a selection of global currencies, experienced a decline of 0.1% at 96.39, positioning it close to its lowest level in over four years. Bitcoin was trading at approximately $87,800, a decline from its overnight peak exceeding $89,300.