Canada Signals Delay in US Tariff Deal as Talks Shift to USMCA Review 
Asian Markets Rebound as Tech Rally Lifts Wall Street, Investors Brace for BOJ Rate Hike 
Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Oil Tankers, Raising Venezuela Tensions and Oil Prices 
South Korea Warns Weak Won Could Push Inflation Higher in 2025 
Oil Prices Climb on Venezuela Blockade, Russia Sanctions Fears, and Supply Risks 
Asian Currencies Trade Sideways as Dollar Weakens Ahead of Key U.S. Data 
Asian Fund Managers Turn More Optimistic on Growth but Curb Equity Return Expectations: BofA Survey 
Oil Prices Rebound as Trump Orders Blockade of Sanctioned Venezuelan Tankers 
U.S. Dollar Steadies Near October Lows as Rate Cut Expectations Keep Markets on Edge 
Asian Stocks Edge Higher as Tech Recovers, U.S. Economic Uncertainty Caps Gains 
Precious Metals Rally as Silver and Platinum Outperform on Rate Cut Bets 
Chinese Robotaxi Stocks Rally as Tesla Boosts Autonomous Driving Optimism 
Japan Inflation Holds Firm in November as BOJ Nears Key Rate Hike Decision 
U.S. Stock Futures Slip After CPI-Fueled Rally as Markets Weigh Economic Uncertainty 
Yen Near Lows as Markets Await Bank of Japan Rate Decision, Euro Slips After ECB Signals Caution 
BOJ Poised for Historic Rate Hike as Japan Signals Shift Toward Monetary Normalization 
Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Global Central Bank Decisions as Yen, Sterling and Euro React 
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.
