Stock Market
As of Oct 1, U.S. stock index futures performed as follows: Dow Jones futures rose 0.30%, S&P 500 futures rose 0.34%, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 0.52%. The move pointed to a firmer start for large-cap U.S. equities, with technology-related contracts leading the advance. By contrast, the prior session’s cash-market tone was mixed, so the futures bounce suggested traders were leaning back into growth names before the open.
Notable Stock Movers: Alphabet (GOOG) up 1.71%, Oracle (ORCL) up 1.45%, NVIDIA (NVDA) up 0.80%.
Accenture PLC (ACN) up 17.59%. Accenture's fourth-quarter profit and revenue rose on higher demand across each of its geographic markets and client industries.
Micron fell about 0.9% as its strong fourth-quarter results were offset by first-quarter gross margin guidance that came in below expectations.
Overall, the pre-market tape favored large-cap technology and selected industrial names, while a handful of small-cap ADRs and logistics-related stocks lagged. The standout move in the broader list was Accenture PLC, which surged sharply, but the primary futures signal still came from a firmer Nasdaq 100 contract. That combination typically supports growth-sensitive sectors at the open, though individual stock performance can still vary widely.
Other Markets
• 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell 0.31%, to 5.28%.
• U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.2070% to 101.67.
• WTI crude oil futures rose 1.39% to 91.68 USD/barrel; COMEX gold futures rose 0.62% to 4212.60 USD/ounce.
Key News
1. McCormick beat sales expectations on resilient seasoning demand. The spice maker reported third-quarter sales of $2.02 billion, ahead of analysts’ estimate of $1.98 billion. The result suggested consumers kept buying its products even as household budgets stayed tight, and the company’s shares climbed in pre-market trading. McCormick is also working through a planned merger involving Unilever’s food business.
2. Broadcom agreed to provide Anthropic up to $42 billion in financing tied to infrastructure spending. Anthropic’s IPO filing showed the arrangement covers compute supply, equipment leases, and related financing. The structure could make Anthropic a major customer for Broadcom’s chip-design business and may even allow parts of the debt to convert into equity. Anthropic also flagged the deal as a potential conflict of interest because Broadcom is both supplier and financier.
3. Micron delivered strong quarterly results but signaled weaker gross margin ahead. The memory-chip maker reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue of $54.229 billion, above expectations, and guided first-quarter revenue and EPS above Street estimates. However, its projected gross margin for the next quarter came in below analysts’ forecast, which pressured the stock in pre-market trading. The market focused on the margin guidance rather than the headline earnings beat.
4. NIO reported higher September deliveries and stronger year-to-date volume. The company said it delivered 37,408 vehicles in the month and 109,178 in the third quarter. NIO also highlighted milestone deliveries for its ES8 and ES9 models, reinforcing its positioning in the premium electric SUV segment. The figures pointed to continued momentum across its brand lineup and charging ecosystem.
5. XPeng posted a monthly delivery increase and expanded its EV rollout. The automaker delivered 41,256 vehicles in the month, with quarterly deliveries reaching 118,390. XPeng said its L03 model surpassed 10,000 monthly deliveries and that it continued broadening charging coverage and software deployment. The update underscored execution across product launches, software, and infrastructure.
6. Li Auto announced robust monthly deliveries and product expansion. The company said it delivered 31,817 vehicles and highlighted growth in its BEV lineup through new model launches. It also noted an over-the-air software rollout to nearly one million vehicles, expanding its driver-assistance capabilities. The disclosure pointed to a broader push to strengthen both sales and software monetization.
7. Tencent was reported to have leased about 100,000 AI chips from Oracle. Reuters reported that the Chinese company signed its largest overseas lease deal with the U.S. cloud provider to support its AI push. The arrangement would help Tencent access advanced chips unavailable in China and could deepen Oracle’s role in AI infrastructure. Oracle shares rose on the report.
8. The U.S. Commerce Department reported inflation below expectations. The Personal Consumption Expenditures price index rose less than economists had forecast, easing immediate pressure on the Federal Reserve. The report also showed resilient consumer spending, which kept the path for policy uncertain. Markets interpreted the data as reducing the urgency for a near-term rate hike.
9. Australian home prices fell for a sixth straight month as transaction activity weakened. Cotality said national home values declined again, extending a broad housing downturn. The report also showed sales volumes falling and inventories rising, indicating that buyers remained cautious. The data added to concerns about the sensitivity of property markets to higher borrowing costs.
10. BYD reported substantial September vehicle output and sales. The automaker said production reached 463,864 vehicles and sales totaled 463,561. Passenger-vehicle sales included both plug-in hybrid and battery-electric models, underscoring the scale of BYD’s EV operations. The figures reinforced its position as a major player in global new-energy vehicles.
Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, Tiger Newspress, public market data
Disclaimer: For informational purposes only; not investment advice.
