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) retreated 0.1% in Thursday's premarket activity as investors weigh corporate earnings against ongoing trade policy uncertainties.

US stock futures were mixed, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.01%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures gaining 0.02%, and Nasdaq futures slipping 0.2% before the start of regular trading.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported Thursday that US companies planned 49,795 job cuts in January, up from December but below January 2024, with technology and retail seeing the most cuts.

The weekly jobless claims bulletin and the Q4 productivity and costs report will be released at 8:30 am ET.

The weekly EIA natural gas bulletin posts at 10:30 am ET.

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller speaks at 2:30 pm and Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan at 5:10 pm.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was up by 1.3% and the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.2% higher.

Power Play:

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) advanced 0.3%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up nearly 1%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 1% lower.

Mercurity Fintech (MFH) stock was up more than 5% premarket after the company said it had been added to the FTSE Russell Microcap Index.

Winners and Losers:

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) advanced 0.3%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was inactive while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) gained 0.4%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was inactive.

AstraZeneca (AZN) shares were up 3.3% pre-bell Thursday after the company reported higher Q4 earnings and revenue.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) retreated 0.2%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.4% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was inactive. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) was down 3.5%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) declined by 0.9%.

MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings (MTSI) shares were up 3.3% in recent Thursday premarket activity after the company posted higher fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue that beat FactSet analyst estimates.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was inactive, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was up by 0.4%.

Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) stock was down 2.2% before Thursday's opening bell, reversing the 2.1% gain at Wednesday's close. The company reported a Q4 net loss Wednesday of $0.13 per diluted share, swinging from earnings of $0.15 a year earlier.

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was up 0.4%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was inactive. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) lost 0.03%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) and the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) were inactive.

Yum! Brands (YUM) shares were up 3% pre-bell after the company reported higher Q4 earnings and revenue.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) was flat while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) were inactive.

Honeywell International (HON) stock was down 2% before the opening bell, continuing from a 0.5% decline in the prior close. The company posted lower Q4 adjusted earnings pre-bell Thursday and said it intends to separate its Automation and Aerospace Technologies businesses.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil gained 0.6% to reach $71.48 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was up 0.7% at $3.39 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund (USO) advanced 0.2%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 0.3% higher.

Gold futures for April retreated 0.1% at $2,891 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures fell 1.1% to $32.61 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) were up 0.1%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.5% lower.