Futures falter as Meta Platforms weighs on megacaps

[April 25, 2024]  (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday, as shares of most megacap growth stocks took a beating after dour quarterly results from Meta Platforms, ahead of more economic data in the week that could influence the Federal Reserve's monetary policy.

Meta plunged 12.9% in premarket trading after the Facebook-parent forecast higher expenses and lighter-than-expected revenue and raising fears the surging cost of AI is outpacing its benefits.

Social media firms like Snap and Pinterest slid 4.8% and 4.3%, respectively.

Shares of some other growth stocks also fell, with Alphabet, Amazon.com and Microsoft down between 1.5% and 2.7%.

"These earnings were a test to see if big tech firms that implement AI tech, rather than make the hardware, can generate revenue from AI. On this front, Meta's earnings were a disappointment," Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, said in a note.

Alphabet, Microsoft and Intel are scheduled to report their quarterly numbers on Thursday after markets close.

Downbeat results from other technology-linked stocks also weighed on equities. International Business Machines dropped 8.5% after the firm said it will buy HashiCorp in a deal valued at $6.4 billion, and as its first-quarter revenue missed estimates.

ServiceNow shed 4.5% after the digital workflow company forecast second-quarter subscription revenue below market expectations.

On the day, Caterpillar, American Airlines and Bristol-Myers Squibb among others are slated to report results before the opening bell.

A trader works on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., April 4, 2024. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

With the earnings season in full swing, adjusted blended earnings for the first quarter are expected to grow by 6.4% on a year-on-year basis, as per LSEG data.

Growing tensions in the Middle East and shifting expectations for interest rate cuts from the Fed have pressured equities recently, with markets now keenly awaiting the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, the U.S. central bank's preferred inflation gauge, on Friday to ascertain the timing of the rate cut.

Money markets are pricing in just about 42 basis points (bps) of rate cuts from the Fed this year, down from about 150 bps seen at the start of the year, according to LSEG data.

For the day, markets will watch the gross domestic product (GDP) advance for the first quarter, and the weekly jobless claims numbers, both due at 8:30 a.m. ET.

At 5:40 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were down 137 points, or 0.35%, S&P 500 e-minis were down 27.5 points, or 0.54%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were down 152.25 points, or 0.86%.

Among other stocks, Ford Motor gained 2.6% premarket as the automaker's first-quarter earnings beat Wall Street's expectations, bolstered by a strong performance in its commercial vehicle division and an increase in hybrid vehicle sales.

(Reporting by Shristi Achar A in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)

[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.