U.S. stock futures fell on Thursday following Wednesday’s positive close. Futures of the major benchmark indices were lower.
Ongoing conflict in the Middle East remains the primary driver of significant market volatility, as hostilities involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran have escalated throughout the region. This marks the sixth consecutive day of unrest with no clear end in sight.
Recent labor and inflation data released Thursday provided a mixed but resilient view of the economy, as weekly jobless claims held steady at 213,000. This stability was complemented by a preliminary report showing nonfarm business labor productivity grew at a 2.8% annualized rate in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Meanwhile, January’s import prices edged up 0.2%, driven by nonfuel gains that offset a decline in energy costs, suggesting underlying price pressures remain firm.
The 10-year Treasury bond yielded 3.11%, and the two-year bond was at 3.56%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 97.3% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in March.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | -0.23% |
| S&P 500 | -0.13% |
| Nasdaq 100 | -0.13% |
| Russell 2000 | -0.38% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were lower in premarket on Thursday. The SPY was down 0.21% at $683.71, while the QQQ declined 0.32% to $608.80.
Stocks In Focus
Broadcom
- Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) jumped 6.66% in premarket on Thursday after reporting better-than-expected financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 after the close on Wednesday.
- AVGO had a weaker price trend in the short and medium terms but a strong trend in the long term, with a solid quality score, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Veeva Systems
- Veeva …