By Oliver Gray
Investing.com - U.S. stock futures were slightly higher in early APAC deals on Thursday, following a mixed session for major benchmark averages as investors digested a fresh slew of corporate earnings reports, minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting and developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 54.57 points lower, or 0.16% at 34,934.28, the S&P 500 lifted 3.94 points or 0.09% to 4,475.01 and the Nasdaq Composite ticked down 0.11% to 14,124.09.
Dow Jones Futures added 0.11%, S&P 500 Futures were up 0.1% and Nasdaq 100 Futures gained 0.13%.
Among stocks, major technology companies finished mixed during Wednesday’s regular session, with Block Inc (NYSE:SQ) down 5.39%, Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) up 1.02%, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) down 0.32%, Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:FB) falling 2.02%, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) easing 0.14%, Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) adding 0.8.% and Advanced Micro Devices Inc (NASDAQ:AMD) dipping 3.11%.
Financial heavyweights also finished in a mixed fashion, with JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) adding 0.18%, Citizens Financial Group Inc (NYSE:CFG) up 0.15%, Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) down 0.23%, Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) easing 0.07%, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) losing 0.41% and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) shedding 2.2%.
In extended deals, DoorDash Inc (NYSE:DASH) popped 27.25% in trading despite a wider-than-expected quarterly loss, reporting losses of 45 cents per share versus an expected a loss of 25 cents per share, while fourth-quarter revenue of $1.3 billion beat estimates of $1.28 billion expected.
Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO) gained 2.8% as the company posted adjusted earnings of 84 cents per share versus 81 cents expected and revenue of $12.7 billion versus $12.65 billion expected. The company also provided an upbeat outlook for the rest of its fiscal year.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) was down 2.04% despite a better-than-expected earnings report, posting an adjusted profit of $1.32 per share versus $1.22 expected. However, first-quarter gross margin guidance came in slightly lower than analysts expected.
Applied Materials Inc (NASDAQ:AMAT) lifted 2.51% after the company beat analysts’ earnings estimates. Applied Materials reported first-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.89 per share on revenues of $6.27 billion. Analysts had expected a profit of $1.85 per share on revenues of $6.16 billion.
In policy news, the FOMC minutes released yesterday showed the Fed is ready to raise rates and shrink the balance sheet as soon as March as expected. On the data front, retail sales jumped 3.8% mom in January, more than estimated and rebounding from an upwardly revised 2.5% drop in December.
On the bond markets, United States 10-Year yields were steady at 31-month highs of 2.04%.
Investors are looking ahead to quarterly reports Thursday from Walmart (NYSE:WMT), Airbus Group SE (PA:AIR) and AutoNation Inc (NYSE:AN), while weekly jobless claims numbers will also be released later in the session.