By Oliver Gray
Investing.com - U.S. stock futures were slightly higher in early APAC trades on Thursday after major benchmark averages continued to rebound in the regular session as investors looked past fears around the accelerating spread of the coronavirus Omicron variant.
On Wednesday, the Dow gained 261.91 points or 0.74% to 35753.9, the S&P 500 climbed 47.35 points or 1.02% to 4696.57, closing 1% shy of record highs, while the Nasdaq Composite climbed 180.81 points or 1.18% to 15521.89. All three indices are on track to end the week higher.
Dow Jones 30 Futures added 0.05%. S&P 500 Futures and Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 0.07% and 0.04%, respectively.
Among stocks, technology companies mostly lifted, with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) up 1.81%, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) adding 1.53%, NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) adding 1.12% and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) up 2.05%, while social media stocks Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) lost 1.12% and 1.04% respectively.
EV makers were mixed with Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) up 7.49% after Elon Musk said in a podcast that he had reached his goal of selling 10% of his shares for tax reasons, while Lucid Group Inc (NASDAQ:LCID) added 1.79% and Rivian Automotive Inc (NASDAQ:RIVN) lost 0.5%.
Block Inc (NYSE:SQ) fell 1.81%.
Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) added 1% after its pill gained authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, it is the first antiviral drug against the virus for at-home use.
Travel related stocks gained, with Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSE:DAL) up 1.58%, American Airlines Group (NASDAQ:AAL) adding 0.77%, United Airlines Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:UAL) gaining 1.46%, Expedia Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE) up 2.91%, Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) lifting 3.46% and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NYSE:NCLH) gaining 1.94%.
Major financials also closed in the green, with JPMorgan Chase & Co (NYSE:JPM) up 0.39%, Citizens Financial Group Inc (NYSE:CFG) adding 0.68%, Bank of America Corp (NYSE:BAC) up 0.2%, Citigroup Inc (NYSE:C) adding 0.37% and Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) up 0.46%.
On the bond markets, United States 10-Year yields were at 1.453%.
On the data front, consumer confidence improved more than expected in December while existing home sales rose for the third month in November.
Investors will get some key inflation data on Thursday, including prices for core personal consumption expenditures. Consumer sentiment numbers and jobless claims will also be released.