Nasdaq, S&P 500 Futures Rise, Markets Await Jobless Claims: Why NVDA, META, NKTR, NVCR, AMAT, ASTS Are On Traders' Radar Today

Retail chatter on Stocktwits shows that sentiment remains deeply bearish on SPY and QQQ.

• Jobless claims and Fed commentary could set the tone for rates.
• Despite the uptick in futures, retail trader sentiment on Stocktwits remained cautious.
• Airbnb (ABNB), Applied Materials (AMAT), Arista Networks (ANET), Rivian (RIVN), and Coinbase (COIN) are among companies that report earnings today.

U.S. stock futures were higher early Thursday as investors await the jobless claims print later today to gauge the direction of Fed rate moves for the year. The delayed jobs report on Wednesday showed growth accelerating in January, but the 2025 data was revised down by nearly 900,000 jobs. 

As of 3:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq futures were up 0.2%, and Russell 2000 futures were higher by 0.4%.  

Meanwhile, retail sentiment toward the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), an exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P 500 Index, has remained ‘bearish’, while the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) ETF, which tracks the Nasdaq 100 Index, stayed ‘extremely bearish’ amid high message volumes. 

Trending Stocks To Watch

Nvidia (NVDA): Samsung Electronics has officially begun commercial shipments of HBM4 chips, reportedly clearing quality checks for Nvidia. Also, watch out for any moves in Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Micron (MU). 

Meta Platforms (META): Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square revealed a new $2 billion stake in the company. 

Apple (AAPL): Apple reportedly bucked a slowdown in China's mobile market with strong iPhone 17 demand in January.

Novocure (NVCR): The FDA approved its Optune Pax device for locally advanced pancreatic cancer, the first new FDA-approved therapy for this indication in nearly three decades.

Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR): After reporting positive trial data for its eczema therapy, the company also upsized its public offering to $400 million to fund Phase 3 trials.

Applied Materials (AMAT): Agreed to pay a $252.5 million settlement to the Department of Commerce to resolve allegations of illegal equipment shipments to China. The company will also be reporting earnings after market close today.

Viking Therapeutics (VKTX): The company is looking to advance its oral obesity drug into late-stage studies by Q3 2026.

Plug Power (PLUG): The company has moved its shareholder meeting to today at 4:00 p.m. ET to seek approval for a share authorization amid liquidity pressures. 

Abbvie (ABBV): Sued HHS over the selection of Botox for IRA Medicare drug price negotiations. 

AST SpaceMobile (ASTS):  Announced a $1 billion private offering of convertible senior notes due 2036, shortly after successfully unfolding its next-gen BlueBird 6 satellite.

Other tickers trending on Stocktwits at the time of writing included AppLovin Corp (APP), Shopify (SHOP), Walt Disney (DIS), among others. 

Other Catalysts To Watch

On the economic front, after yesterday’s delayed January jobs report, investors will be monitoring the release of Initial Jobless Claims at 8:30 am ET, followed by data on Existing Home Sales (Jan) at 10 am. Later today at 7 pm,  Fed Governor Stephen Miran speaks, and any commentary on rates will be closely watched. 

On the earnings radar, investors will also be watching for the quarterly reports from Howmet Aerospace (HWM), Zoetis (ZTS), Crocs (CROX), and TripAdvisor (TRIP), among others, before the bell. Meanwhile, Coinbase (COIN), Rivian (RIVN), Airbnb (ABNB), Applied Materials (AMAT), and Roku (ROKU) will be reporting earnings after market close today.

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