Stock Market Today: Futures Edge Up as Traders Weigh Nvidia CEO Exit and 5% Yield

TLDR

• US stock futures rose slightly Friday, and all three major indexes are set for weekly gains.
• The 10-year Treasury yield hit 5.10% Thursday, its highest level since October.
• A hot inflation report put a 50-basis-point December rate hike back on the table.
• Nvidia shares fell 4.3% Thursday and rose about 2.6% in early Friday trading.
• October producer prices are due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, and Nvidia reports earnings Tuesday.

US stock futures edged higher early Friday, putting Wall Street on track for weekly gains. The week included a CEO departure, a bond sell-off and a hotter inflation reading.

Dow futures rose 0.1%, S&P 500 futures gained 0.2% and Nasdaq-100 futures added 0.1%. The contracts traded near 52,424, 7,626 and 28,397, in that order. Futures show early expectations before the regular session opens.

Nasdaq 100 Dec 26 (NQ=F)

Where the Major Indexes Stand

Through Thursday’s close, the Nasdaq is up 3.2% for the week. The S&P 500 has gained 2.9%, and the Dow is ahead 2.0%. The gains came despite a series of shocks.

Thursday was a down day for all three. The Nasdaq fell 0.39%, the Dow lost 0.36% and the S&P 500 slipped 0.35%. Even so, none of the weekly gains was erased.

Tuesday’s consumer price report came in hotter than expected. Federal Reserve officials then spoke in a hawkish tone. That put a 50-basis-point rate hike in December back on the table.

The 10-year Treasury yield reached 5.10% on Thursday, its highest level since October. Traders are bracing for a rate increase next month. A higher yield reflects what investors demand to lend to the government.

Oil prices jumped on Thursday as tensions between the US and Iran returned. The spike set off a sell-off in government bonds. Crude was little changed on Friday, down about 0.3%.

Higher yields can weigh on growth stocks, which include many technology companies. The 10-year yield moving above 5% and rebounding oil prices added pressure as the week wrapped up.

Nvidia’s Leadership Change

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stepped down this week. Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress has stepped in to lead the company. The change has kept investors focused on the chipmaker.

Nvidia shares fell 4.3% on Thursday as the news spread. Other chipmaker stocks fell further in premarket trading on Friday. Nvidia’s size and reach across the AI industry keep its moves in focus.

The stock recovered early Friday, rising about 2.6%. Nvidia reports third quarter earnings on Tuesday. Those results will be the first report since the leadership change, and investors will watch them closely.

James Demmert, chief investment officer at Main Street Research, said the worst is most likely behind Nvidia. He described the past few weeks as shocking for the company. He expects Tuesday’s earnings call to help investor confidence and the share price.

CoreWeave also posted strong earnings this week. An AI-driven rally then lost steam after the inflation data and the jump in bond yields. CoreWeave’s results arrived the same week as Huang’s exit.

Producer prices for October are due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. The report follows Tuesday’s consumer price data and measures wholesale inflation. Traders want to see whether price pressures are still building.

New York Fed President John Williams is also scheduled to speak later Friday. Investors will look to his remarks for clues on next month’s rate path. S&P 500 futures were up 11 points near 7,626 in early trading.

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