U.S. stock market futures offered little direction on Wednesday night as traders looked ahead to a pivotal inflation report that could set the tone for markets. Futures linked to the S&P 500 rose a hair, or less than 0.1 percent, and Nasdaq 100 futures surged an additional 0.2 percent. Dow Jones futures were, meanwhile, slightly lower.
Traders for stocks are keeping a tab on the CPI (U.S. Consumer Price Index ) for the month of November 2025, which is due to be released on Thursday morning. This will mark the first inflation report since a U.S. government shutdown was resolved. Economists expect inflation to increase by 3.1 percent on an annual basis. The data is influential on interest rate expectations and the broader market footing.
Tech Stocks Are Under Pressure Following Recent Slump
Lately, the stock market’s taken a hit. Big tech and semiconductor stocks—especially the ones connected to artificial intelligence—have dropped hard, and that’s dragged everything else down with them. The Nasdaq Composite pulled the market lower, and now the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average have both closed down for four days in a row.
Shares of Oracle fell more than 5 percent after reports that an influential investor bailed on a large data centre project, heightening fears about heavy capital investments in the tech industry. This news also weighed on other chipmakers, including Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom.
Micron’s Robust Earnings Provide Some Respite
Micron Technology was one of the rare bright spots in the market, as its shares soared more than 7 percent after reporting stronger-than-forecast quarterly earnings and a strong revenue outlook. Even with the recent swings and cautious investors, the technology sector is ultimately on pace to finish 2025 with strong overall gains.
