5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens
U.S. stock futures higher after tech stocks pulled indexes lower on Thursday; Apple (AAPL) shares stabilized in premarket trading after falling yesterday on weak iPhone sales in China; China said it had achieved its 2024 GDP growth target of 5%; UnitedHealth Group (united nations institutes of health) stocks take center stage after leading gains S&P 500 Index Down yesterday; SpaceX’s Starship rocket disintegrated after launch. Here’s what investors need to know today.
1. U.S. stock futures higher after tech selloff
U.S. stock futures higher after major market indexes fell yesterday Technology stocks fell across the board. Nasdaq Futures rose 0.5%, Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 Index Futures rose 0.4%. Bitcoin (Bitcoin USD) is up more than 2%, trading above $102,000. Gold futures and the 10-year Treasury yield are lower. Oil futures were little changed.
2. iPhone sales in China are weak, Apple stock price stabilizes after plummeting
apple(AAPLShares of the tech giant, which fell more than 4% yesterday (its worst day since August 5) amid reports of weak iPhone sales in China, were up nearly 1% in pre-market trading . Thursday’s decline came as market research firm Canalys reported that Apple has fallen to third place in China’s smartphone sales in 2024. CNBC the report said. Earlier this week, Counterpoint Research said Apple’s fourth-quarter global results iPhone sales drop A year-on-year increase of 5%. At the beginning of this year, Apple’s stock price has fallen by nearly 9%.
3. China says it has achieved its 2024 GDP growth target of 5%
China says it has reached annual 5% target Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Growth target for 2024. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China Growth in the fourth quarter was 5.4%when it is unveiled stimulus measures This boosts economic activity. The data comes ahead of China reporting GDP growth of 5.2% in 2023. Its export-led growth comes as President-elect Donald Trump threatens Extra 10% Imposing tariffs on Chinese imports.
4. UnitedHealth Group stock plunges on weak earnings, spotlight
UnitedHealth Group (united nations institutes of health) A day later, the health insurance company was in focus after its shares fell 6%, leading the S&P 500’s losses. Disappointing quarterly earnings and higher medical costs. While the company kept its 2025 outlook unchanged, it expects its Medical Cost Ratio (MCR) This year it will reach 86% to 87%. The stock is down nearly 20% from its all-time high set in November and down nearly 3% from a year ago, while the S&P 500 is up 25%. UnitedHealth shares edged higher in premarket trading.
5. SpaceX rocket disintegrates after launch
A test flight of the aircraft space exploration technologies corp. The Starship rocket broke apart during launch, sending debris flying into the Atlantic Ocean, prompting the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue a warning to flights in the area. this Company founded by Elon Musk said a fire broke out near the rear of the vehicle, destroying the vessel. This accident occurred after Blue Origin and Amazon (Amazon) founder Jeff Bezos’ space company, A large rocket was launched It first appeared early Thursday.