Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on June 26, 2026.
NYSE
U.S. stock futures edged lower early Friday after a strong Wall Street session that put the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite on track for weekly gains
S&P 500 futures were flat and Nasdaq 100 futures declined 0.1% and 0.38%, respectively. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 109 points, or 0.21%
Stocks are headed for a mixed week. As of Thursday’s close, the Nasdaq Composite was higher by 1.5%, while the S&P 500 had gained 0.8%. The Dow alone was lower by 0.8%
Semiconductor stocks fell ahead of Friday’s regular trading session, with shares in the sector falling after a broad rally in Thursday’s session
Intel fell more than 3%, while Micron, Marvell Technology and Lam Research all shed more than 2%. Nvidia, Broadcom and AMD were also among those trading in negative territory in pre-market trading
The iShares Semiconductor ETF and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF declined by 1.2% and 0.9%, respectively
Investors are also looking ahead to the debut of South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix on the Nasdaq later today. The memory chipmaker added 1.3% in Asian trading on Friday ahead of its U.S. market debut
The company, which exploded higher this year on the massive demand for memory, is pricing its American depository receipts at $149 each which cited an anonymous source
U.S. stocks rallied on Thursday, aided by cooling oil prices after President Donald Trump said that Iran called to make a deal. Qatar and Pakistan are trying to bring Washington and Tehran back into negotiations, officials from the countries told MS Now
Positive momentum for chipmakers helped bolster the major U.S. averages, with many investors remaining hopeful that strong earnings growth can help the stock market broaden out beyond tech and continue its upward advance
That sentiment carried over into Asia-Pacific equity markets on Friday, with South Korean stocks leading gains in the region
Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 1.2% higher while South Korea’s Kospi added 2.5%. Mainland China’s CSI 300 closed 1.96% lower, dragged by the technology and industrials sectors
In South Korea, Samsung Electronics gained 4.3%, Samsung SDI climbed 8.3%, LG Display advanced 4.4% and Seoul Semiconductor rose 5.9%
European stocks were broadly lower on Friday, with tech stocks leading losses in the region. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was last seen 0.2% lower, with most regional bourses and sectors trading in the red
Traders will be watching for second-quarter results from Delta Air Lines, due Friday morning
1 Hour Ago
World oil demand set for first annual decline since 2020, IEA says
Global oil demand is set to decline for the first time since 2020 as the Iran war wreaked havoc with production and exports in the Middle East, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said Friday
World oil demand is set to decline by 1 million b/d year-on-year in 2026, which would mark its first annual decrease since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the IEA said in its latest oil market report
This year’s contraction is “highly skewed in both product and regional terms,” as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — the vital shipping route for oil and gas — disrupted exports through the Persian gulf, the agency noted
A recovery is underway, the researchers added, though they warned renewed escalation in the conflict could complicate matters and further cloud the outlook
Read the full story here
2 Hours Ago
Vodafone shares spike 11% after Abu Dhabi’s E& announces exit
A sign outside a Vodafone Group Plc mobile phone store in London, U.K.
Jason Alden | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Shares in Vodafone surged 11.2% in morning trade Friday after E& said it would offload its entire stake in the multinational telecommunications mainstay for $5.95 billion
The Abu Dhabi-based telecoms group said it has agreed to sell the position — sized at 16.2% of Vodafone’s shares — to Vega, an acquisition vehicle wholly-owned by the family group of billionaire Xavier Niel, founder of French telecoms group Iliad
Vodafone.
The sale values Vodafone shares at 112.5 pence ($1.50) each, a 15% premium to the previous close of 97.76 pence, and will result in a net cash return of $1.3 billion, E& said in a statement
—Hugh Leask
3 Hours Ago
EasyJet pops 14% as airline weighs $7.7 billion rival takeover bid from Apollo
EasyJet stock soared Friday after the budget carrier said it is considering a $7.7 billion takeover bid from Apollo Global Management
Under the terms of the cash offer, easyJet shareholders would be entitled to £7.15 ($9.61) per share of the company, valuing the firm at £5.7 billion, around $7.66 billion
Apollo has ignited a bidding war, as EasyJet had previously accepted a $7.3 billion takeover offer from private equity firm Castlelake
Shares were last trading 13.6% higher
Read the full story here
— Joseph Wilkins
3 Hours Ago
European stocks edge higher but tech stocks stumble
European stocks edged higher on Friday, though tech stocks led losses in the region
Shortly after the opening bell, the pan-European Stoxx 600 index was up 0.15%, with most regional bourses and sectors trading in the green
London’s FTSE 100 rose 0.1% in early trade, while France’s CAC 40 added 0.17% and Germany’s DAX was broadly flat. Tech stocks lagged the broader index, opening down 0.8% after a strong Thursday session.
— Joseph Wilkins
4 Hours Ago
Japan’s Nikkei 225 gains over 1% and Kospi rises more than 2% as tech stocks rise
Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 1.2% higher at 68,557.53, while South Korea’s Kospi added 2.5% to 7,475.94
Earlier in the session, the Korea Exchange activated a buy-side sidecar on the Kospi after Kospi 200 futures surged more than 5%, temporarily halting program trading for five minutes.
Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.5% to 8,806
— Lee Ying Shan
4 Hours Ago
S&P Global Ratings downgrades Oracle to lowest investment-grade status
S&P’s ratings agency downgraded U.S. tech giant Oracle to the lowest investment grade rating on Thursday, citing concerns around its business model and spending plans.
Oracle’s credit rating was lowered to BBB- from BBB, one notch above junk status, as S&P sees the firm facing “rising capex requirements, an uncertain path to profitability, rapidly evolving industry and competitive landscape, and high customer concentration.”
S&P said Sam Altman’s OpenAI represents a “key credit risk” to Oracle
“If OpenAI were unable to pay Oracle, we believe Oracle could be left with massive data center leases that it might be unable to exit or have to re-lease to new tenants under less-favorable terms,” they wrote in a research note
The stock closed 2.7% higher on Thursday, but is down over 38% over the past year
— Joseph Wilkins
6 Hours Ago
Portfolio manager warns Fed’s reactions to economic data could fuel Treasury volatility
Treasury market volatility is likely to increase as the Federal Reserve becomes more reactive to incoming economic data, Adam Marden, co-portfolio manager of the Dynamic Global Bond Strategy at T. Rowe Price, said in a note published late Thursday
“We expect higher volatility at the front end, although the process is likely to be gradual. Recent funding-market episodes suggest the Fed remains sensitive to market functioning and may respond if pressures become more pronounced.”
Marden also said that stronger nominal growth and reduced forward guidance from the Fed should keep rate swings elevated, rather than any single inflation report driving the market
The 10-year Treasury yield was little changed at 4.541% on Friday
—Lee Ying Shan
7 Hours Ago
Oil little changed as investors keep an eye on Middle East developments
Oil was little changed Friday, as investors assessed the latest developments in the Middle East
Futures for international benchmark brent crude for September delivery and U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for August both rose 0.1% to $76.40 and $72.22 per barrel, respectively, in choppy trading
Signals that diplomatic efforts to address the U.S.-Iran conflict were ongoing have kept a lid on prices after they shot up following U.S. strikes on Iran in retaliation for Tehran targeting commercial tankers in the Hormuz Strait
Trafficared with an average of 33 per day over the previous week director of commodity research at the energy intelligence firm Kpler
“We think that the Iran is determined to control traffic,” Eric Nuttal, partner and senior portfolio manager at Ninepoint said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia,” adding that this will have a long-term impact on flows through the strait
“I think, people’s attention will soon look to, well, you know, global oil inventories are at the lowest levels in recorded history,” Nuttal added
—Justina Lee
9 Hours Ago
SoftBank Group surges 11% as Asian tech stocks track gains in U.S. chipmakers
Japanese and South Korean tech stocks surged on Friday, tracking a rally in U.S. chipmakers
Japan’s SoftBank Group advanced over 11%, while chip equipment makers Advantest and Renesas Electronics gained 3.9% and 3%, respectively. Tokyo Electron was up 4%
Among other South Korean technology names, Samsung SDI up 8.3% and Seoul Semiconductor advancing 5.9%. Samsung Electronics was 4.3% higher. Display panel producer LG Display rose 4.4%
Memory chip major SK Hynix added 1.3%, ahead of the trillion-dollar South Korean chipmaker’s U.S market debut. The company has seen its stock soar more than sevenfold over the past year due to the global memory crunch
—Justina Lee
9 Hours Ago
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng and mainland China’s CSI 300 rise
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index rose 0.45%, while mainland China’s CSI 300 gained 0.33% Friday
Morgan Stanley said in a note Thursday that Hong Kong and Chinese equities had outperformed regional and global peers over the past week
“Hong Kong and China have outperformed regional and global peers over the past week, while most other markets saw a sharp rise in volatility,” Morgan Stanley said
The brokerage added that while near-term volatility could persist, “near-term downside risk is diminishing,” and investors underweight on China could use the pullback to accumulate quality stocks
It reiterated that late July and August would be a “critical” period for a more sustainable recovery, citing improving e-commerce earnings, progress in AI commercialization and the expected absorption of July’s IPO share-unlocking pressure
—Lee Ying Shan
10 Hours Ago
SK Hynix shares rise ahead of Nasdaq debut
Shares of SK Hynix rose 5% at the open, before paring gains to 0.5% as the chip giant looks to make its Nasdaq debut Friday
Tim Garratt, investment manager at Baillie Gifford, said SK Hynix remains well-positioned to benefit from a persistent imbalance between AI computing needs and memory capacity
“Clearly there’s been a huge backlog to catch up on and as a result SK Hynix has been sitting in the middle of that short-term pinch point, and it’s just got tremendous momentum around the needs,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia.”
Shares of domestic rival Samsung Electronics were up 2.16%
— Lee Ying Shan
10 Hours Ago
Asia-Pacific markets open mostly higher; South Korea’s Kospi jumps 3%
Asia-Pacific markets opened mostly higher Friday, with South Korean equities leading gains in the region
South Korea’s Kospi jumped over 3%, while the small-cap Kosdaq advanced 2.4%
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 1.37%, while the Topix added 0.74%
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was flat at the open
—Lee Ying Shan
11 Hours Ago
Asia markets are set to open higher amid renewed U.S.-Iran diplomacy hopes
Asia-Pacific markets were set to open mostly higher Friday as investors weighed renewed hopes for diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran
President Donald Trump said Iran called to make a deal. Mediators from Qatar and Pakistan are also working to bring the two sides to the negotiating table which cited officials from the countries
Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 was set to open higher with the index futures contract in Chicago at 69,005 and in Osaka at 69,060 against the index’s last close of 67,743.85
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 futures last traded at 8,736, while the index closed at 8,762.50
Futures for Hong Kong’sHang Seng index were last at 24,052, slightly higher than its close of 24,030.18
—Lee Ying Shan
11 Hours Ago
S&P 500, Nasdaq on track for winning week
Here are where the major averages stand week to date. As of Thursday’s close:
- The Nasdaq Composite up by 1.5%
- The S&P 500 up by 0.8%
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average down by 0.8%
— Sarah Min
12 Hours Ago
SK Hynix prices U.S. listing at $149 a share, report says
South Korean memory chipmaker SK Hynix priced its U.S. listing of American depository receipts at $149 a share which cited a person familiar
— Sarah Min
12 Hours Ago
WD-40 Company shares jump
WD-40 products are offered for sale at a home improvement store on April 8, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott Olson | Getty Images
Shares of the maker of household and industrial lubricants rallied 15% Thursday night. WD-40 Company posted third quarter results that beat expectations on the top and bottom lines, and hiked its full year guidance
WD-40 Company posted third quarter earnings of $2.33 per share, on an adjusted basis, which topped the $1.56 earnings per share expected by analysts polled by FactSet. Revenue of $195.1 million also exceeded the anticipated $172.8 million
It also raised earnings guidance to the range of $6.05 to $6.35 per share, higher than prior guidance of $5.75 to $6.15. Revenue expectations were also raised to the range of $675 million to $690 million, compared to previous guidance in the range of $630 million to $655 million
WD-40 Company, 1-day
— Sarah Min
13 Hours Ago
Stock futures open little changed
U.S. stock futures opened little changed on Thursday night
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell by 36 points, or 0.07%. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures dipped 0.04% and 0.02%, respectively
— Sarah Min
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