Oil Prices Slip as U.S.–Iran Talks Ease Supply Disruption Fears 
Bank of Japan Signals Readiness for Near-Term Rate Hike as Inflation Nears Target 
Asian Markets Slip as AI Spending Fears Shake Tech, Wall Street Futures Rebound 
Japan Economy Poised for Q4 2025 Growth as Investment and Consumption Hold Firm 
South Korea Assures U.S. on Trade Deal Commitments Amid Tariff Concerns 
Singapore Budget 2026 Set for Fiscal Prudence as Growth Remains Resilient 
Oil Prices Slide on US-Iran Talks, Dollar Strength and Profit-Taking Pressure 
Global Markets Slide as AI, Crypto, and Precious Metals Face Heightened Volatility 
Vietnam’s Trade Surplus With US Jumps as Exports Surge and China Imports Hit Record 
Asian Stocks Slip as Tech Rout Deepens, Japan Steadies Ahead of Election 
Gold and Silver Prices Rebound After Volatile Week Triggered by Fed Nomination 
Fed Governor Lisa Cook Warns Inflation Risks Remain as Rates Stay Steady 
U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher as Tech Rout Deepens on AI Concerns and Earnings 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
Japanese Pharmaceutical Stocks Slide as TrumpRx.gov Launch Sparks Market Concerns 
Silver Prices Plunge in Asian Trade as Dollar Strength Triggers Fresh Precious Metals Sell-Off 
U.S. stock futures rose sharply Wednesday night, driven by strong earnings reports from tech giants Microsoft and Meta Platforms. This positive momentum came after a choppy regular session where Wall Street posted modest gains despite weak economic data.
As of 8:13 p.m. ET, S&P 500 Futures were up 0.9% at 5,636.75, Nasdaq 100 Futures climbed 1.4% to 19,931.50, and Dow Jones Futures added 0.4% to reach 40,932.00.
Meta (NASDAQ:META) jumped 5.7% in after-hours trading following upbeat Q1 earnings and an increase in full-year capital expenditure guidance to $64–72 billion. The Facebook and Instagram parent plans to expand AI-focused data centers to support future growth.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) also surged 7% post-market after reporting a 13% rise in quarterly revenue and projecting robust cloud growth of 34–35% in the fiscal Q4, reinforcing investor confidence in its AI-driven cloud strategy.
However, earlier in the day, U.S. GDP data surprised markets, showing a 0.3% annualized contraction in Q1, versus a 2.4% expansion in Q4. Analysts had expected modest growth of 0.2%. The downturn was partly due to a 41.3% spike in imports—the largest in five years—as buyers rushed to make purchases ahead of potential Trump-era tariffs.
Despite the economic miss, Wall Street indexes ended Wednesday with small gains. The Dow rose 0.4%, the S&P 500 edged up 0.2%, and the Nasdaq slipped 0.1%.
Investors now await earnings from Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), due Thursday. Meanwhile, Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) fell nearly 6% after weak global sales, and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) posted a profit decline. AI server firm Super Micro (NASDAQ:SMCI) dropped 11.5% after lowering its Q3 outlook.
