U.S. stock-index futures were largely unchanged Thursday evening following another session in which major benchmarks reached new closing records for the second day running. Market participants attributed the cautious but constructive tone to improving geopolitical signals that bolstered risk appetite across equities.
Futures snapshot - By 20:14 ET (00:14 GMT), S&P 500 Futures were up about 0.1% at 7,082.75 points. Nasdaq 100 Futures were relatively flat at 26,479.0 points, while Dow Jones Futures ticked up roughly 0.2% to 48,841.0 points.
Indexes extend gains as Middle East tensions ease
In regular trading, the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ Composite both closed at record highs for the second session in a row, with the Nasdaq stretching its winning run to 12 sessions - its longest streak since 2009. The market lift followed reports that Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire with Lebanon and comments from U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that Washington and Tehran could resume talks over the coming weekend.
Market observers noted the Lebanon ceasefire is expected to last around 10 days and may serve as a step toward broader negotiations. Those developments helped support sentiment despite other factors tempering the advance, including persistently elevated oil prices amid ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Economic news earlier in the day added to the positive tone for equities. U.S. jobless claims fell by more than expected, a sign cited as indicating continued resilience in the labor market and providing further backing for risk assets.
Corporate earnings create mixed market movers
Company results continued to shape individual-stock moves. PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) shares climbed more than 2% after the company reported quarterly earnings and revenue that came in ahead of expectations, with the firm cited as benefiting from robust international demand and pricing power.
In contrast, Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) shares slid 6% after the company trimmed its full-year profit outlook, attributing the revision to pressures related to acquisitions. Charles Schwab Corp (NYSE:SCHW) also saw a decline of more than 7% as investors reacted to an absence of clear forward guidance despite the company topping earnings estimates.
After regular trading hours, attention turned to Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX). Although Netflix posted first-quarter results that beat expectations, the company forecast second-quarter earnings below Wall Street estimates and pointed to higher content-related costs as a factor. Netflix maintained its full-year guidance at a level that modestly lagged expectations, and the stock plunged more than 9% in extended trading as investors absorbed the outlook.
What this means for markets
The session illustrated how macro-level improvements in geopolitical risk can lift broad market measures even while earnings reports produce sharp, stock-specific moves. Energy markets remain a background source of uncertainty given elevated oil prices. Meanwhile, results from consumer staples, healthcare, financials and media companies moved individual sectors based on company-specific news.
Bottom line - Equities entered the evening with modest gains in futures following record-setting closes, supported by easing Middle East tensions and solid labour-market data, but corporate guidance and profit outlooks continued to create significant volatility at the single-stock level.