Pre-Bell | Index futures soften as oil jumps; Meta inks $21 B AI cloud pact and Staar Surgical rallies on upbeat outlook

01 Stock Market

As of Apr 9, U.S. stock index futures performed as follows: Dow futures slipped about 0.34%, S&P 500 futures eased roughly 0.24%, and Nasdaq 100 futures edged down close to 0.15%. The modest pull-back reflects caution after a powerful rally in the prior session, with traders weighing rapidly rising energy prices against fresh AI-related corporate developments.

Notable Stock Movers: NIO up 4.70% at $6.68; CoreWeave (CRWV) up 3.18% at $91.73 after expanding its cloud partnership with Meta; Tesla (TSLA) up 0.11% at $343.62 as Ark Invest added shares; Micron (MU) down in value by 0.31% at $405.45 amid weakness in memory names; NVIDIA (NVDA) down around 0.43% at $181.29 as investors rotate within the semiconductor complex. News-driven names outside the futures feed, such as Staar Surgical (STAA), jumped about 20% in pre-market trade on stronger sales guidance.

Sector rotation remains pronounced: renewed strength in electric-vehicle ADRs contrasts with profit-taking across large-cap chipmakers, while AI infrastructure suppliers gain on new contract wins. Elevated energy prices are also pushing oil-linked ETFs higher, adding to inflation concerns that could influence the day’s risk appetite once regular trading begins.

02 Other Markets

• 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell 0.18%, to 4.28%.

• U.S. Dollar Index fell 0.13% to 98.88.

• WTI crude oil futures rose 4.49% to 98.65 USD/barrel; COMEX gold futures rose 0.10% to 4 782.10 USD/ounce.

03 Key News

1. CoreWeave signed a roughly $21 billion, multi-year agreement to supply AI cloud capacity to Meta Platforms. The deal extends their existing partnership through 2032 and will deploy NVIDIA Vera Rubin infrastructure across multiple sites, underscoring surging demand for high-performance computing resources.

2. Applied Digital reported fiscal third-quarter revenue of $126.6 million, topping estimates but posted a wider per-share loss. Management highlighted the ramp-up of a 100 MW liquid-cooled data center and said additional capacity is coming online, yet shares fell as rising expenses weighed on sentiment.

3. Staar Surgical projected first-quarter sales to more than double, sending its shares soaring in pre-market trade. The ophthalmic-device maker cited robust demand for implantable lenses and expects margin expansion as production scales.

4. Constellation Brands recorded softer quarterly revenue amid sluggish beer, wine and spirits demand. The company pointed to consumer down-trading but reaffirmed cost-control initiatives that aim to protect full-year earnings targets, prompting a mild share-price decline.

5. OpenAI’s chief financial officer said the company will reserve a portion of IPO shares for individual investors. After attracting strong retail interest in a recent funding round, management aims to broaden ownership when it eventually pursues a U.S. listing that could value the firm near $1 trillion.

6. Reserve Bank of New Zealand Governor Anna Breman signalled growth could accelerate if Middle-East tensions ease, while leaving rates unchanged. She noted earlier cuts still provide stimulus but cautioned that supply-chain disruptions from the conflict could rekindle inflation risks.

7. U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres urged the SEC and CFTC to probe unusual oil and equity futures trades executed moments before President Trump delayed strikes on Iran. The lawmaker said trading patterns involving contracts for millions of barrels of crude appeared suspicious and called for preservation of related records.

8. Ark Invest purchased an additional 33,210 Tesla shares, lifting weekly buys to about $27.8 million. The move contrasts with a high-profile analyst downgrade and reflects Cathie Wood’s continued conviction in Tesla’s long-term positioning despite inventory concerns.

9. President Trump stated that all U.S. ships, aircraft and military personnel will remain positioned in and around Iran. The declaration signals sustained regional vigilance, potentially prolonging commodity-market volatility tied to Middle-East developments.

10. Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan deleted a social-media post announcing an imminent delegation visit to Islamabad for conflict talks. The abrupt removal highlights fragile diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating regional tensions and adds uncertainty to negotiations closely watched by energy markets.

Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, Tiger Newspress, public market data

Disclaimer: For informational purposes only; not investment advice.