Investing.com - The Australian Stock Exchange is gearing up for a positive opening on Thursday, following a strong overnight performance from US tech giants Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN).
A sudden drop in the yields of US bonds has also contributed to the optimistic market sentiment. The yield on the US 30-year bond, which had previously soared to 5%, dipped to 4.86% while the 10-year yield also fell, settling at 4.73%.
Among data releases, the ADP report revealed a lower-than-expected growth in private payrolls. An increase of only 89,000 was recorded last month, compared to the 180,000 rise in August, falling short of all estimates.
Despite the recent surge of over 12%, the CBOE Volatility Index showed a 6% decrease.
In the spotlight on the ASX on Thursday are shares of ARB Corporation Ltd (ASX:ARB), which are set to trade ex-dividend. Dividends are due to be paid by several companies, including Atlas Arteria (ASX:ALX), Breville Group Ltd (ASX:BRG), Corporate Travel Managment Ltd (ASX:CTD), Fletcher Building Ltd (ASX:FBU), Gold Road Resources Ltd (ASX:GOR), Inghams Group Ltd (ASX:ING), Medibank Private Ltd (ASX:MPL), and Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX:WES).
In the United States, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook made headlines by selling approximately $US41 million worth of stock after taxes, marking his largest sale in over two years. The move comes as Apple shares continue to slide from recent highs. According to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Cook sold around 241,000 shares, with an additional 270,000 shares withheld for tax purposes. Despite the sale, he still holds roughly 3.28 million shares in the company.