Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq Futures Edge Higher As Markets Attempt To Recover From Nvidia Rout: SLS, MSFT, CADL, MSTR In Focus

Nvidia’s CEO scandal continued to rock markets on Thursday, with Jensen Huang resigning from his position following multiple reports of infidelity.

• The chipmaker’s chief financial officer, Colette Kress, has stepped in as the interim CEO.
• U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Huang should be replaced by Apple’s Tim Cook.
• Trump also said in a social media post that the U.S. doesn’t “need a deal with Iran.”

U.S. stock futures traded higher overnight late Thursday as markets reacted to a brutal day on Wall Street for Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), with the shares of the chipmaker extending its rout following the exit of its CEO, Jensen Huang. 

However, rival AI and chip companies saw their shares rise as hopes of increased market share amid the Nvidia scandal boosted optimism.

As of 09:37 p.m. EST, Dow futures gained 0.21%, while the S&P 500 futures were up 0.34% and Nasdaq-100 futures gained 0.52%. 

On Thursday, all three U.S. benchmark indexes ended the session lower. The Nasdaq Composite led the decline, shedding 100 points to close 0.39% down. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 lost 0.36% and 0.35%, respectively.  

Index	Move	Close
Dow Jones Industrial Average	-0.36%	52,297.09
S&P 500	-0.35%	7,592.40
Nasdaq Composite	-0.39%	25,366.09

Despite the volatility from Nvidia’s leadership upheaval, U.S. benchmark indexes are on track to post their best week since August. 

The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 are headed about 3% higher this week, while the Dow is on track to post gains of nearly 2%. 

Key US Market Drivers

Nvidia’s CEO scandal continued to rock markets on Thursday, with Huang resigning from his position in the company following fresh reports of infidelity, including a relationship with an alleged Chinese spy. NVDA shares have slumped nearly 11% so far this week amid the revelations and leadership upheaval. 

The chipmaker’s chief financial officer, Colette Kress, has stepped in as the interim CEO as the board continues to scour for a full-time replacement both internally and externally. 

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Huang should be replaced by Apple’s Tim Cook. “NOW THAT Nvidia CEO JENSEN HUANG, who has done a fantastic job, has resigned, there is only one man to take his place - TIM COOK of Apple. A Legend replaces a Legend!” 

Meanwhile, shares of rival companies, including Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) gained nearly 6% and 5.5%, respectively, as markets are counting on them gaining higher market share amid the debacle. 

AI chipmaker Cerebras Systems Inc. (CBRS) rallied more than 19% in extended trading hours after it reported better-than-expected quarterly results and also announced a new deal with Microsoft Corp. (MSFT).

The iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) was down 0.26% at close, while the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) fell 1% and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) declined 0.55%. 

On the geopolitical front, Trump said in a social media post that the U.S. doesn’t “need a deal with Iran” as “Those days have long since passed.” He said that the U.S. had Iran’s money and also had control over the Strait of Hormuz. 

“I have asked Vice President Vance to focus his complete and total attention on the Massive Corruption and Crime taking place in Democrat run Cities and States throughout the U.S.,” he said.

Oil prices were marginally lower at the time of writing. Brent crude futures were trading at $95.77 a barrel, down about 0.05%, while WTI crude futures traded 0.33% lower at $88.45 per barrel.

Markets will now be tuning in to the U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI) for October on Friday. Economists polled by Dow Jones are expecting the headline PPI to rise 0.4% on the month and 6.6% year-over-year. 

Trending Tickers To Watch 

SELLAS Life Sciences Group Inc. (SLS): Shares of the company rallied nearly 21% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the company said its key leukemia trial results are expected later this month, with the CEO pointing to the treatment’s potential to become a “transformative” immunotherapy if successful.

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT): The technology company was on the retail radar after its services, including Outlook, Teams and Copilot were down for several hours on Thursday. 

Candel Therapeutics Inc. (CADL): Shares of the clinical-stage biotechnology company plunged 38% in extended trading hours after it said ongoing discussions with the FDA have delayed its planned Biologics License Application for lead candidate aglatimagene besadenovec in localized prostate cancer.

Strategy (MSTR): The digital assets company’s shares fell 2% in the overnight session amid a decline in Bitcoin prices. 

Other Market Trends 

Among ETFs tracking benchmark indexes, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) all edged higher.

U.S. Treasury yields climbed higher amid the ongoing market volatility. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield was trading at 5.127% at the time of writing, while the 30-year yield was at 55.455%. 

The iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) was down 0.11% amid ‘bearish’ sentiment. 

Asian markets opened mixed on Friday. South Korea's KOSPI, Japan’s Nikkei 225, and China’s SSE Composite were trading in the green. Australian stocks edged lower at the time of writing. 

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