US stock futures were steady on Thursday as investors digested another round of corporate earnings. In after-hours trading, Nvidia fluctuated between gains and losses after exceeding analysts’ expectations for both revenue and profit, offering some reassurance amid growing concerns about a potential AI-driven market bubble. In contrast, Salesforce fell nearly 5% after issuing weaker-than-expected fiscal 2027 revenue guidance, reigniting fears about ongoing softness in the already pressured software sector.
During Wednesday’s regular session, the Dow rose 0.63%, the S&P 500 gained 0.81%, and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 1.26%. Software stocks led the advance: Oracle climbed 1.2% following a bullish analyst upgrade, while Microsoft and Palantir added 3% and 4.2%, respectively. Investor skepticism over AI-powered service models continued to fade after Anthropic’s latest integrations positioned artificial intelligence as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, established software platforms.
