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* Futures up: Dow 0.06%, S&P 0.07%, Nasdaq 0.45%
Aug 4 (Reuters) - Nasdaq futures rose on Tuesday after
strong forecasts from Palantir ( PLTR ) and ON Semiconductor reassured
investors about AI-driven demand, while Middle East developments
and U.S. earnings were also in focus to gauge the health of
corporate America.
Palantir Technologies ( PLTR ) gained 17.2% in premarket
trading after raising its annual revenue forecast again,
signaling strong government and commercial demand for its
AI-powered data analytics software.
Chipmaker On Semiconductor added 7.5% after forecasting
quarterly revenue above expectations, betting on surging demand
for power management chips used in AI data centers.
Investors have been scrutinizing results from AI-linked
companies this earnings season for signs that their billion
dollar investments are yielding returns. Strong results from AI
leaders Microsoft ( MSFT ) and Amazon ( AMZN ) last week were a
relief and have underpinned gains on Wall Street since then.
The benchmark S&P 500 is about 21 points from hitting its
first record high since June, while the blue-chip Dow
closed at a record high on Monday for the first time since July.
Other AI-linked stocks such as Micron added 2.3%,
Nvidia ( NVDA ) rose 0.7% and Marvell ( MRVL ) rose 4.4%.
At 05:16 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 34 points, or
0.06%, and S&P 500 E-minis were up 5 points, or 0.07%.
Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 129.25 points, or 0.45%.
Overall, this earnings season has so far been better than
historical standards. Of the 304 companies in the S&P 500 that
have reported second-quarter earnings as of Friday, 85.2% have
beaten estimates, versus the long-term average of 67.5%.
Snap jumped 8.1% after beating second-quarter revenue
estimates, thanks to increased advertising spending during the
FIFA World Cup and stronger campaign activity from large
advertisers in North America.
Big names that are due to report on Tuesday include drug
makers Merck ( MRK ) and Pfizer ( PFE ), global economy
bellwether Caterpillar ( CAT ), Marathon Petroleum ( MPC ) and
fast-food giant McDonald's.
McDonald's results will be landing at a time when a
cyclosporiasis outbreak potentially linked to lettuce has grown
into the largest on record in the country, with Michigan hit
hardest.
Elon Musk's SpaceX will release its first earnings
report since its public debut after markets close. Shares were
up 1%.
ECONOMIC DATA
The focus later in the day will shift to economic data.
The Labor Department's Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey,
scheduled at 10 a.m. ET, is expected to show the economy created
about 7.4 million jobs in June, lower than the 7.6 million in
the month before.
Other reports on factory orders and trade for June, along with
remarks by Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid could also
offer insights on the health of the economy.
Investors will parse the reports to also gauge the outlook for
interest rates at a time when the U.S.-Iran standoff in the
Middle East is keeping crude prices elevated, while the Federal
Reserve has offered little guidance on monetary policy.
Traders see a 63.4% chance that the central bank will hike
rates by at least 25 basis points when it meets next month, the
CME FeWatch Tool showed.