Nasdaq, Dow Futures Mixed Ahead Of Jobless Claims: Why SPCX, SNDK, SOUN, IONQ, FIG Stocks Are In Focus

Retail traders appear to be dialing back optimism. On Stocktwits, sentiment is now ‘neutral’ on SPY and QQQ.

• Investors will watch for weekly initial jobless claims ahead of Friday's closely watched July employment report. 
• Fed Governor Lisa Cook said Wednesday she would support further policy tightening if inflation fails to keep moderating.
• Reports suggest progress toward an Iran-Oman understanding over the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump reiterated his preference for a negotiated agreement with Iran.

U.S. stock futures were mixed early Thursday as investors parsed the geopolitical developments in the Middle East, awaited fresh labor market data and a barrage of earnings. 

As of 4:00 a.m. ET, Nasdaq futures were down 0.3%, S&P 500 and Russell 2000 futures gained 0.1%, and Dow futures rose 0.2%.

Despite the broad market momentum, retail traders remain wary. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), an exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P 500 Index, has remained ‘neutral’, and Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), which tracks the Nasdaq-100 Index, has moved to ‘neutral’ from ‘bullish’.

All eyes will be on the weekly initial jobless claims today ahead of Friday’s payrolls data. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Fed Governor Lisa Cook said she is prepared to support further rate hikes if inflation fails to continue moderating.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump reiterated that the U.S. is in talks with Iran and would prefer to reach an agreement, while reports indicated an Iran-Oman understanding over the Strait of Hormuz could be nearing completion. 

Premarket Movers 

Alphabet (GOOGL) remains on the radar after announcing a major AI leadership reshuffle that saw Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis transition into a broader role, and longtime AI chief Jeff Dean departing to launch a startup.

Meta Platforms (META): Drew scrutiny following reports that its AI model inadvertently breached external and internal systems during a cybersecurity test.

Figma & software peers (CRM, INTU, ADBE): Figma shares cracked 14% in early premarket trading after the company warned that its rising AI infrastructure expenses weighed on margins, pulling down enterprise software stocks too.

SanDisk (SNDK): Fell 9% in early premarket trade post-earnings as its forward guidance failed to clear high investor expectations. The company also announced a $14 billion share buyback program and outlined expectations for its New Business Model agreements to represent over 50% of bit shipments by FY27.

SoundHound AI (SOUN): Shares surged 24% in early premarket trading following a record quarterly revenue and raised guidance.

SpaceX (SPCX): Headed for its fifth consecutive week in the red amid its IPO lockup expiration today. Meanwhile, Cathie Wood bought nearly $20M in shares on Wednesday. 

Rocket Labs (RKLB) is in focus after rescheduling its delayed "Grain Goddess" Electron mission for Thursday.

Ionq (IONQ): Shares soared 10% in early premarket trade on a bunch of contract wins, including a National Reconnaissance Office radar contract for its Space Division.

Moderna (MRNA) shares rose over 3% in early premarket trade after receiving U.S. FDA approval for its influenza vaccine.

Paranovus Entertainment (PAVS) stock surged 40% in early premarket trading on the announcement that it had closed a $33 million deal to acquire the women's activewear and athletic brand Heyviva from consumer brand holding company Jabanero Inc. 

Other tickers trending on Stocktwits at the time of writing included Eli Lilly (LLY), AppLovin Corp (APP), Fluence Energy (FLNC), and Novavax (NVAX).

Other Catalysts To Watch

On the economic front, investors will be watching for the release of the initial jobless claims and wholesale inventories.

On the earnings front, Celsius (CELH), Datadog (DDOG), ConocoPhillips (COP), D-Wave Quantum (QBTS), Peloton (PTON), and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) are among those reporting before the bell. After market close, Airbnb (ABNB), Trade Desk (TTD), Roku (ROKU), Marathon Digital (MARA), Cloudflare (NET), DraftKings (DKNG), Rigetti Computing (RGTI), MP Materials (MP), and others report. 

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com<