08:53 AM EDT, 07/15/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.1%, and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) advanced 0.4% in Wednesday's premarket activity, amid economic data releases.

US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.1%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipping 0.02%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.4% before the start of regular trading.

Mortgage applications fell by 2.7% in the week ended July 10 as higher 30-year mortgage rates depressed new home applications, while refinancing activity improved, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday.

The New York Federal Reserve's Empire State manufacturing index rose to 15.6 in July from 5.7 in June, compared with a smaller expected increase to a reading of 9.2 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.

US producer prices fell 0.3% in June, compared with expectations for no change, while core producer prices rose 0.2%, below forecasts for a 0.3% increase.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh begins his second day of testimony at 10:00 am ET.

Weekly crude oil stocks data are set for release at 10:30 am ET, followed by an appearance by

New York Fed President John Williams and Fed Governor Lisa Cook are slated to speak on Wednesday.

The Fed's Beige Book report will be released at 2:00 pm ET.

In premarket action, bitcoin was up by 0.1%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.1% higher, Ether ETF (EETH) advanced 0.1%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) retreated 0.01%.

Power Play:

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLI ) advanced 0.6%, the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund ( VIS ) rose 1%, while the iShares US Industrials ETF ( IYJ ) was inactive.

Pentair ( PNR ) stock fell more than 21% before the opening bell after the water treatment company reported preliminary Q2 results below market estimates and lowered its full-year outlook amid headwinds related to its pool segment.

Winners and Losers:

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) advanced 0.4%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 1%, while its bearish counterpart, Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ), was 1.1% lower.

BlackRock ( BLK ) shares traded up more than 4% in early hours activity after Bloomberg reported the company is in discussions over providing about $45 million in private credit to Indian e-commerce platform Udaan as part of a proposed $160 million funding package.

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) advanced 0.6%, and the iShares US Technology ETF ( IYW ) was 0.2% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF ( IGM ) was up 1.5%. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF ( XSD ) gained 1.1%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 1.4%.

ASML ( ASML ) shares were up more than 3% in premarket activity after the company reported year-over-year growth in Q2 earnings and sales and raised revenue guidance for the full-year 2026.

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) retreated 0.01%, the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was flat, and the iShares US Consumer Staples ETF ( IYK ) was up 1.2%. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) advanced 0.1%. The VanEck Retail ETF ( RTH ) was inactive, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) was flat.

Lucid (LCID) shares were down more than 2% pre-bell after dropping more than 16% in Tuesday's regular session following rumors of a potential bankruptcy filing that the company quashed.

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLV ) declined 0.6%, the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ( VHT ) was down 0.3%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF ( IYH ) slipped 0.3%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was up 0.2%.

Merck ( MRK ) stock was up more than 1% premarket after the company said a phase 3 trial of its therapy, Keytruda, met the primary endpoint of progression-free survival in patients with mismatch repair-deficient advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF ( IYE ) was down 2.5%, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLE ) retreated by 0.1%.

Oceaneering International ( OII ) stock was up nearly 1% before market open after the company and Kongsberg were selected by the US Department of War's Defense Innovation Unit to support the US Navy's vision for scalable uncrewed undersea platforms.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil advanced by 0.6% to $79.82 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was down by 0.2% to $2.90 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund ( USO ) was up 0.1%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund ( UNG ) was 0.9% lower.

Gold futures for July gained 0.8% to $4,035.90 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures retreated by 1.4% to $58.28 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares ( GLD ) decreased 0.4%, and the iShares Silver Trust ( SLV ) was 1.2% lower.