* Futures up: Dow 0.21%, S&P 500 0.36%, Nasdaq 0.7%
* Applied Digital ( APLD ) rises after signing $5.2 bln AI data
center lease
* Consumer prices data, SpaceX market debut on watch this
week
(Updates to pre-open prices)
By Joel Jose and Twesha Dikshit
June 9 (Reuters) - U.S. stock indexes were set to open
higher on Tuesday, as chipmakers extended gains for a second
day, while easing hostilities in the Middle East also aided
sentiment.
Nasdaq futures led gains in early trading, with shares of
chipmakers Marvell Technology ( MRVL ), Broadcom ( AVGO ) and
Micron Technology ( MU ) rising between 0.4% and 4.2% premarket,
rebounding after Friday's sharp selloff.
Technology and AI stocks came under sharp selling pressure
last week, after Broadcom's ( AVGO ) disappointing forecast fueled
concerns about high valuations in the sector, particularly in
chipmakers, which have rallied strongly this year.
"The reason why I think the market's holding on pretty well
is that analysts are still not finished raising their guidance,"
said Ken Mahoney, CEO of Mahoney Asset Management.
Despite concerns regarding interest rate hikes, inflation
and the Middle East uncertainty, strong earnings expectations,
particularly for tech stocks, were driving markets higher,
Mahoney said.
Iran and Israel said on Monday they had halted attacks on
each other after an appeal from U.S. President Donald Trump,
settling back into a tenuous ceasefire announced on April 8.
Oil prices fell more than 2%, erasing most of the previous
session's gains, though caution lingered as diplomatic efforts
have yet to yield a lasting peace agreement and the Strait of
Hormuz remains shut.
At 08:23 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 108 points, or
0.21%, and S&P 500 E-minis were up 26.5 points, or
0.36%. Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 206.5 points, or 0.7%.
Consumer prices data for May, due on Wednesday, will be
closely watched for fresh clues on how the rise in energy prices
due to the Iran war is impacting inflation.
A stronger-than-expected jobs report on Friday added to
concerns that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates this
year. Traders are pricing in a 43% chance of a 25 basis point
rate hike in December, as per CME Group's FedWatch tool.
SpaceX's $1.75 trillion market debut on Friday could also
prove to be a hurdle for U.S. stocks as investors worry about
possible overexuberance among high-growth technology stocks.
Elon Musk's SpaceX is aiming to raise $75 billion, the most ever
for an IPO.
ChatGPT maker OpenAI said on Monday it had confidentially
filed for a U.S. initial public offering, joining rival
Anthropic in a push toward public markets.
In other company news, Applied Digital ( APLD ) rose 11%
after it signed a 15-year lease with a U.S.-based hyperscaler at
its Delta Forge 2 site, which is expected to generate about $5.2
billion in revenue over the period.
Shares of cancer drug developer Nuvalent ( NUVL ) surged
almost 40% after GSK agreed to buy the company for $10.6
billion, in its largest deal in years, valuing Nuvalent ( NUVL ) at about
$124 per share, a 40% premium to the stock's last closing price.
(Reporting by Joel Jose, Sruthi Shankar and Twesha Dikshit in
Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)