Stocks advance in upbeat start to June trading

Stocks advance in upbeat start to June trading

U.S stocks jumped early Wednesday as Wall Street entered a fresh month of trading.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.7{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 260 points, or 0.8{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}. The Nasdaq Composite rose 1{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}.

An upbeat earnings report from Salesforce (CRM) late Tuesday gave sentiment a boost after the software company raised its profit forecast and said it did not see any significant impact on operations from macroeconomic uncertainty.

The outlook comes in contrast with some downbeat quarterly results from some corporate peers that signaled struggles with rising costs and supply chain imbalances ahead. Shares of Salesforce surged as much as 12{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} at the open.

“We’re just not seeing material impact on the broader economic world that all of you are in,” Salesforce Chief Executive Officer Marc Benioff said in an earnings call.

In a meeting with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday, President Joe Biden discussed inflation — a “top economic priority” of his administration — while shifting responsibility to the central bank and emphasizing its independence. The meeting followed a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Biden underscoring his focus on taming soaring prices.

“At the end of the day, inflation is the biggest political challenge that is out there,” John Hancock Investment Management Co-Chief Investment Strategist Matthew Miskin told Yahoo Finance Live on Tuesday. “To bring down inflation, [the Fed has] got to bring down the economy.”

June also marks the beginning of the Federal Reserve process to begin shrinking its $8.9 trillion balance sheet. The central bank is also expected to raise interest rates by another 50 basis points when officials meet for their next policy-setting meeting later this month.

Wednesday’s early moves follow an eventful May on Wall Street marked by worries of a recession, decades-high inflation levels and rising interest rates.

Despite a month of sharp gyrations in equity markets, the S&P 500 churned out a small gain of less than 1{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} – even after seven consecutive weeks of losses briefly dragged the index into bear market territory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also closed slightly up for May, while the Nasdaq Composite deepened losses for the month amid a continued rotation out of technology stocks.

In the past decade, the month of June has returned an average 1.4{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, ranking it the fourth best month of the year, according to data from LPL Financial. Over the past 20 years, however, the month has been weak, with only September worse for stocks.

“June has something for everyone, as it is no doubt a very weak month historically, but the past decade it has been strong,” LPL Financial Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick said in a note. “Still, after the big bounce in late May, we wouldn’t be surprised at all if this recent strength continued into a potential summer rally.”

Bespoke Investment Group pointed out in a note Tuesday that summer months have historically seen weaker stock market returns relative to winter and early spring. According to data from the firm, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has averaged a gain of 0.47{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} in June over the last century, but has been a “coin flip” for positive returns during the month, logging gains only 52{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} of the time.

9:33 a.m. ET: Wall Street kicks off June with gains after closing out volatile month

Here’s where the major indexes were trading at the start of Wednesday’s session:

  • S&P 500 (^GSPC): +24.02 (+0.58{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,156.17

  • Dow (^DJI): +239.63 (+0.73{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 33,229.75

  • Nasdaq (^IXIC): +93.71 (+0.78{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 12,175.10

  • Crude (CL=F): +$2.02 (+1.76{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $116.69 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): +$1.00 (+0.05{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,849.40 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): -0.2 bps to yield 2.8420{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

7:22 a.m. ET: Futures struggle for direction as investors gear up for June trading

Here were the main moves in early trading Wednesday after Wall Street closed out a volatile month:

  • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): +6.25 (+0.15{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,137.50

  • Dow futures (YM=F): +132.00 (+0.40{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 33,103.00

  • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): -1.25 (-0.01{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 12,645.25

  • Crude (CL=F): +$1.38 (+1.20{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $116.05

  • Gold (GC=F): -$14.70 (-0.80{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,833.70 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): +10.1 bps to yield 2.8440{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 25: Traders participate in a moment of silence at the start of the trading day for the victims of the school shooting in Texas on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on May 25, 2022 in New York City. At least 21 people were killed, including nineteen children. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 25: Traders participate in a moment of silence at the start of the trading day for the victims of the school shooting in Texas on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on May 25, 2022 in New York City. At least 21 people were killed, including nineteen children. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Alexandra Semenova is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alexandraandnyc

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Stocks advance, J&J shares gain after breakup announcement

Stocks advance, J&J shares gain after breakup announcement

Stocks advanced Friday after a mixed session in the markets, with both earnings and inflation data remaining at the center of investor attention.

The S&P 500 gained, and both the Dow and Nasdaq also closed out Friday’s session in the green after a volatile trading week. Shares of Dow component Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) rose after the company said it was planning to break up into two separate companies focused on consumer health products and pharmaceuticals, respectively, in a move echoing a similar breakup announcement by General Electric (GE) earlier this week. 

As of Friday’s close, however, the S&P 500 ended the week marginally lower after five straight weeks of gains. But after weeks of advances, it still remained just slightly below all-time highs. 

“We’ve got a market that is just incredible. No matter what it’s going up, and that shouldn’t be much a surprise given how much money has been pushed into the system,” Lenore Hawkins, Tematica Research chief macro strategist, told Yahoo Finance Live. “There’s just a lot of money chasing not a whole lot of alternatives.” 

That said, a hotter-than-expected inflation print earlier this week was one key concern for investors, and reinforced that elevated price pressures were not as fleeting as many had initially expected during the recovery. Consumer prices rose at their fastest clip in 31 years in October, or by a marked 6.2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} versus the same month last year, to accelerate from September’s already lofty 5.4{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} year-on-year rise.

The rise in prices carries implications both for corporations— many of which have had to try and pass on rising prices to end consumers to preserve margins — and for the Federal Reserve. Market pricing currently suggests the Federal Reserve will step in by mid-next year to raise interest rates to try and temper the broadening inflationary trends. 

Still, many economists have reaffirmed that the inflationary pressures will eventually ease, albeit while likely settling at a higher level than had been present before the pandemic. 

“Inflation should moderate. We’re talking about settling at 2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, 2.5{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} over the course of the next 12 months,” Gabriela Santos, JPMorgan Asset Management global market strategist, told Yahoo Finance Live. “So we’re still talking about real wage gains, and that’s extremely supportive certainly of people’s livelihoods, but also of consumption and hence the economy overall.”

“We do expect a big re-acceleration in growth starting this quarter and throughout next year, [and] 5{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} average growth just over the next three quarters,” she added. “So we would characterize this not as stagflation, but as reflation. And that difference is, reflation is actually quite good for earnings growth and quite good for the stock market, especially cyclical sectors.” 

4:02 p.m. ET: Stocks end higher, though S&P 500 posts first weekly loss in six weeks

Here’s where the major stock indexes closed out Friday’s session: 

  • S&P 500 (^GSPC): 4,682.84, +33.57 points (+0.72{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})

  • Dow (^DJI): 36,100.31, +179.08 points (+0.5{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})

  • Nasdaq (^IXIC): 15,860.96, +156.68 points (+1.00{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})

12:38 p.m. ET: SEC rejects VanEck Bitcoin ETF

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday said it rejected an exchange-traded fund from VanEck that would have tracked bitcoin spot prices directly. This would have stood in contrast to the the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO), which was approved and which only tracks bitcoin futures rather than prices directly.  

According to a filing, the SEC concluded that the fund did not meet requirements necessitating that the fund be “‘designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices’ and ‘to protect investors and the public interest.'” 

10:20 a.m. ET: Consumer confidence drops to 10-year low

Inflation concerns are hitting consumers. 

The University of Michigan’s preliminary sentiment index decreased to 66.8 from 71.7 in October, data released Friday showed. The November figure trailed all projections in a Bloomberg survey of economists which called for an increase to 72.5. Consumers expect inflation to rise 4.9{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} over the next year, the highest since 2008, the report showed. They expect prices will rise 2.9{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} over the next five to 10 years, unchanged from the previous month.

10:00 a.m. ET: Job openings take a dip

Job openings, a measure of labor demand slipped to 10.4 million on the last day of September, the Labor Department said in its monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report, on Friday, down from an upwardly revised 10.6 million in August. Economists had expected 10.3 million, according to Bloomberg consensus estimates. Quits increased by 164,000 to 4.4 million, a record high.

9:30 a.m. ET: Stocks open higher after whipsaw week

Here’s where markets were trading at the open bell:

  • S&P 500 (^GSPC): 4,653.65 +4.38 (+0.09{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})

  • Dow (^DJI): 35,974.97, +53.74 (+0.15{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})

  • Nasdaq (^IXIC): 15,727.90, +23.62 (+0.15{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a})

7:50 a.m. ET: Stock futures point to a higher open

Here’s where markets were trading Friday morning: 

  • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): +9.25 points (+0.2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 4,652.25

  • Dow futures (YM=F): +94 points (+0.26{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 35,923.00

  • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): +39.00 points (+0.24{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 16,061.75

  • Crude (CL=F): -$1,53 (-1.88{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $80.06 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): -$8.50 (-0.46{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,855.40 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): +1.4 bps to yield 1.572{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

6:11 p.m. ET Thursday: Stock futures advance

Here’s where markets were trading Thursday evening:

  • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): +4.5 points (+0.1{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 4,647.50

  • Dow futures (YM=F): +41 points (+0.11{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 35,870.00

  • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): +19.5 points (+0.12{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 16,042.25

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2021.  REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 27, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter

Stocks advance as debt ceiling deadline fears abate

Stocks advance as debt ceiling deadline fears abate

Stocks advanced Thursday, with investors cheering developments in Washington as lawmakers reached an agreement that would temporarily avert a government default by mid-month.  

The three major indexes extended gains after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday morning that lawmakers had reached a deal to extend the government’s debt limit through the beginning of December. Such a move would offer time to prevent a government default that many pundits said could come as soon as around Oct. 18. 

The issue of the debt ceiling has been a focal point for corporate leaders and market participants alike. Earlier Wednesday, President Joe Biden met with top business leaders including JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman, who urged lawmakers to raise the debt limit and prevent a government default they warned would be catastrophic to the U.S. economy. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also told CNBC she expected a government default would cause a recession.

“The debt ceiling is one of many factors right now that we think are causing these gyrations in the markets. Certainly the market will take some comfort when there is a deal, when it is more formalized,” Yung-Yu Ma, chief investment strategist for BMO Wealth Management, told Yahoo Finance. 

The ongoing debt ceiling debate has been just one of a number of concerns to the market in recent weeks, which have all come together to catalyze volatility across risk assets. 

In addition to concerns over the debt limit, “markets are looking for some resolution, or at least an end in sight to the supply chain issues, the inflation pressures that are building,” Ma added. “The markets are also starting to look toward the November meeting of the Fed, and hoping that the Fed is not going to show excessive increases in future interest rates as well … So several things are going on.”

A spike in energy and commodity prices has also weighed on investor optimism, reinforcing the persistent trend in rising price pressures across the global economy. 

U.S. crude oil futures gained on Thursday to reverse some of Wednesday’s losses, after Bloomberg reported the U.S. Energy Department said it did not plan to release crude oil from the government strategic petroleum reserve at this time. A day earlier, the Financial Times had reported that U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm had not ruled out tapping the SPR as one means to try and bring prices in check. 

“The surge in energy prices is just going to make all the supply chain issues that we’ve been experienced over the past year even worse. I suspect that the supply chain issues are going to get worse before they get better,” Troy Vincent, senior market analyst at DTN, told Yahoo Finance Live.

4:03 p.m. ET: Stocks post third straight day of gains as lawmakers reach debt-limit deal; Dow adds 338 points, or 1{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

Here were the main moves in markets as of 4:03 p.m. ET:

  • S&P 500 (^GSPC): +36.21 (+0.83{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,399.76

  • Dow (^DJI): +337.95 (+0.98{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 34,754.94

  • Nasdaq (^IXIC): +152.10 (+1.05{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 14,654.02

  • Crude (CL=F): +$1.39 (+1.80{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $78.82 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): -$6.10 (-0.35{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,755.70 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): +4.7 bps to yield 1.5710{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

2:14 p.m. ET: Ireland says it will join OECD in backing international minimum corporate tax 

The Irish government announced Thursday that it would join a consortium of 140 countries in signing a proposal for a global agreement on a minimum corporate tax rate.  

The plan, championed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, has called for a minimum 15{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} tax on corporate entity profits. Ireland’s announcement comes as a major shift away from the country’s prior stance, which was to promote a 12.5{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} corporate tax rate as an incentive to attract multinational corporations.

“Joining this agreement is an important decision for the next stage of Ireland’s industrial policy – a decision that will ensure that Ireland is part of the solution in respect to the future international tax framework,” Ireland’s Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said in a statement.

11:22 a.m. ET: Stocks extend gains

The three major indexes added to gains Thursday mid-morning after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the chamber had reached an agreement to extend the debt limit into December avert a government default this month. 

Each of the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq were up at least 1.3{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} in intraday trading, and the small-cap Russell 2000 outperformed with a gain of 2{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}. The materials, healthcare and consumer discretionary sectors led the way higher in the S&P 500, and all 11 major sectors were in positive territory during the session.

Nearly every component in the 30-stock Dow traded higher on Thursday. Materials company Dow Inc. and Nike outperformed, gaining more than 3{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} and 2.5{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}, respectively. 

9:32 a.m. ET: Stock futures jump, Dow adds 350+ points, or 1{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

Here were the main moves in markets as of 9:32 a.m. ET: 

  • S&P 500 (^GSPC): +37.28 (+0.95{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 4,405.18

  • Dow (^DJI): +372.34 (+1.07{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 34,789.33

  • Nasdaq (^IXIC): +150.61 (+1.04{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 14,652.31

  • Crude (CL=F): -$0.47 (-0.61{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $76.96 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): -$8.90 (-0.51{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,752.90 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): +2.8 bps to yield 1.552{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

8:55 a.m. ET: Pfizer asks FDA to authorize COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11 

Pfizer (PFE) and BioNTech (BNTX) on Thursday said they were submitting data to the Food and Drug Administration to seek emergency use authorization of their COVID-19 vaccine for children between the ages of 5 to 11. Shares of both drugmakers were higher in early trading. 

The FDA previously set a tentative advisory committee meeting to discuss the vaccine for pediatric use on Oct. 26. So far, the Pfizer vaccine has received full approval for use in individuals 16 and older, and emergency use authorization for those aged 12 to 15.  

8:35 a.m. ET: Weekly jobless claims fell more than expected last week

New weekly unemployment claims posted a sharper than expected drop last week, with impacts to the labor market relating to Hurricane Ida and the Delta variant beginning to recede.

Initial jobless claims totaled 326,000 for the week ended Oct. 2, the Labor Department said Thursday. This came in below the prior week’s 364,000, which was upwardly revised from the 362,000 previously reported.

As of the week ended Sept. 18, about 4.2 million individuals were claiming benefits across all unemployment programs, compared to 5 million during the prior week. These figures have come down sharply in recent weeks in large part due to the expiration of crisis-era federal unemployment programs on Sept. 6. Continuing jobless claims totaled 2.714 million during the week ended Sept. 25, reaching the lowest level since March 2020. 

7:25 a.m. ET Thursday: Stock futures jump, Nasdaq futures gain 1{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} 

Stocks headed for a higher open Thursday morning. Here were the main moves across markets: 

  • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): +39.25 points (+0.90{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 4,393.25

  • Dow futures (YM=F): +269 points (+0.78{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 34,560.00

  • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): +167.00 points (+1.13{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 14,926.00

  • Crude (CL=F): -$1.12 (-1.45{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $76.31 a barrel

  • Gold (GC=F): +$2.70 (+0.15{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to $1,764.50 per ounce

  • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): -0.3 bps to yield 1.521{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}

6:05 p.m. ET Wednesday: Stock futures hold higher

Here’s where markets were trading Wednesday evening:

  • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): +3.5 points (+0.08{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 4,357.5

  • Dow futures (YM=F): +25 points (+0.07{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}), to 34,316.00

  • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F): +15.5 points (+0.11{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}) to 14,774.50

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 16: People walk by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on September 16, 2021 in New York City. Despite a rise in retail sales, the Dow slipped lower on Thursday as investors continue to have concerns from the Delta variant and news of a slight rise in jobless claims.  (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 16: People walk by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on September 16, 2021 in New York City. Despite a rise in retail sales, the Dow slipped lower on Thursday as investors continue to have concerns from the Delta variant and news of a slight rise in jobless claims. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter