Investing.com -- Wall Street looks set to end the week on a positive note, rebounding after Monday's rout. Disney is set to invest more into its Entertainment division, while new energy sales top the Chinese auto market for the first time.
1. Futures edge higher as investors regain poise
U.S. stock futures edged higher Friday, as the previous session’s better than expected weekly jobless claims data resulted in a degree of poise returning to Wall Street.
By 04:15 ET (08:15 GMT), the Dow futures contract was 55 points, or 0.1%, higher, S&P 500 futures climbed 11 points, or 0.2%, and Nasdaq 100 futures rose by 65 points, or 0.4%.
The Wall Street indices closed firmly higher Thursday, with the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average rallying almost 700 points, or 1.8%, while the broad-based S&P 500 jumped 2.3%, its best session since November 2022, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 2.9%.
The jobless claims data helped alleviate investors’ concerns about the strength of the labor market and state of the U.S. economy, helping Wall Street bounce after Monday’s steep selloff.
That said, the main indices are still down on the week, with the S&P 500 off 0.5%, while the Nasdaq and the Dow are down roughly 0.7%. Both the broad-market S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are on pace for their fourth successive losing week.
Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA) stock rose premarket after the entertainment company beat Wall Street's profit expectations and its streaming business reported its first quarterly profit in three years, while announcing it would cut 15% of its U.S. workforce as it attempts to cut costs.
Expedia (NASDAQ:EXPE) stock surged premarket after the online travel company beat quarterly expectations even after it warned of a softening in travel demand in July.
By contrast, ELF Beauty (NYSE:ELF) stock slipped premarket after the cosmetics company issued cautious guidance even as it raised annual sales and profit forecasts after topping first-quarter estimates.
2. Disney banks on Entertainment division
Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) reported somewhat mixed results earlier this week, warning of weakness at its parks business while the combined streaming businesses of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ posted a profit for the first time.
And it seems that Disney is doubling down on its Entertainment division, announcing plans to spend at least $1 billion every year in the U.K., Europe, the Middle East and Africa over the next five years to produce movies and TV shows.
The company will commit the amount across films, Disney+, National Geographic and other TV productions, a Disney spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters.
Disney's plans could build on the recent success of films like "Inside Out 2" and the company's television business.
CEO Bob Inger is working to rebuild Disney after billions of dollars in losses from streaming efforts, the decline of traditional television and a rough patch for its storied film studio.
3. NEV sales the majority in China
The Chinese auto market reached a milestone in July, as just over half of all vehicles sold in the world’s largest auto market were either new pure electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids, industry data showed.
Sales of so-called new energy vehicles accounted for a record 50.7% of car sales last month, data from the China Passenger Car Association showed, up from a penetration rate of around 36% last year.
NEV sales accounted for just 7% of total vehicle sales in China three years ago, but its heavy investments in EV supply chains have propelled the growth of the domestic EV industry.
By contrast, the share of electric and hybrid vehicle sales in the United States amounted to 18% in the first quarter of this year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, a research firm.
4. Chinese CPI grows in July
Chinese consumer price index inflation grew more than expected in July, offering a sign that weak domestic demand may be picking up following a series of unexpected interest rate cuts by the People’s Bank.
CPIgrew 0.5% year-on-year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Friday, above expectations for growth of 0.3% and above the 0.2% growth seen in the prior month.
The increased inflation comes following several more measures from Beijing to increase local liquidity conditions, mainly interest rate cuts by the PBOC.
However, PPI inflation shrank for a 22nd consecutive month, although its pace of contraction remained at its slowest since January 2023.
PPI inflation shrank 0.8% year-on-year, slightly better than expectations for a 0.9% decline and remaining steady from a 0.8% decline seen in June.
5. Crude on course for weekly gains
Crude prices slipped slightly Friday, but were on course for hefty weekly gains as improving sentiment towards the U.S. economy and persistent geopolitical tensions boosted prices.
By 04:15 ET, the U.S. crude futures (WTI) dropped 0.3% to $76.00 a barrel, while the Brent contract fell 0.3% to $78.92 a barrel.
Both crude benchmarks were set to gain more than 3% on a weekly basis, the first positive week in five.
Better-than-expected U.S. jobless claims data on Thursday boosted sentiment and better-than-expected Chinese inflation data earlier Friday highlighted some improvements in the world’s biggest oil importer.
Traders were also seen attaching a greater risk premium to oil prices, after Ukraine mounted one of its biggest attacks on Russia since the war began in early-2022. Sustained tensions in the Middle East, amid fears of retaliation by Iran and Hamas against Israel, also kept some risk elements in oil.