News In Brief. Muted U.S. Futures as Investors Await Key Economic Data

 Accenture and Jabil to Report Earnings; TikTok Deal in Focus; Gold Holds Steady

U.S. stock futures remained flat on Thursday as investors awaited key economic indicators and corporate earnings reports. With the Federal Reserve’s next move on interest rates still uncertain, markets appear cautious.

Key Market Drivers Today

1. U.S. Stock Futures Stay Subdued

• Futures for the Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100 hovered near the flatline in early trading.
• This follows a modest pullback in equities after a strong recent rally.
• Investors are digesting recent comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who remained vague on future rate cuts after last week’s 25-basis-point reduction.
• The market is now focused on Friday’s key inflation reading which could influence the Fed’s decision-making.

2. Strong U.S. Housing Data Clouds Rate Cut Hopes

• Single-family home sales data for August showed a significant increase, raising doubts about the need for further stimulus.
• Analysts suggest the robust housing numbers may delay any immediate Fed action.

Corporate Earnings Spotlight

3. Accenture Set to Release Q4 Results

• Expected EPS: $3.00
• Forecast Revenue: $17.36 billion
• Current Quarter Guidance: $18.46 billion
• The focus will be on Accenture’s AI consulting segment, which booked around $1.5 billion last quarter.
• Total bookings stood at $19.7 billion.
• A slowdown in U.S. government spending could hit annual revenues by 2%, according to CFO Angie Park.

4. Jabil Also Reporting Pre-Market

• Expected EPS: $2.92
• Forecast Revenue: $7.58 billion
• Jabil, a key Apple supplier, has seen its shares rise 57% this year, thanks to booming demand in AI and cloud infrastructure.
• The company plans to invest $500 million in the U.S. to support growth in AI and data centre infrastructure.

Political & Tech Headlines

5. Trump to Sign Executive Order on TikTok Deal

• Reports indicate President Trump will declare the TikTok deal compliant with 2024 legislation.
• ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese owner, may receive another deadline extension to divest U.S. operations.
• A potential U.S. ownership group includes Oracle, Silver Lake, and Susquehanna International.
• The TikTok algorithm would be retrained, but the app will remain operational in its current form.

Commodities Update

6. Gold Prices Hold Firm

• Spot gold up 0.4% to $3,750.99/oz.
• U.S. gold futures rose 0.3% to $3,780.80.
• Gold remains supported by a weaker U.S. dollar and anticipation of key inflation data.
• If inflation surprises on the downside, gold could benefit further.

What to Watch Ahead

• Weekly U.S. jobless claims, forecast at 230,000.
• Second estimate of U.S. Q2 GDP.
• August personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, a core inflation metric tracked by the Fed.

Investor Outlook

Markets are cautiously waiting for clarity from economic data before making any big moves. AI-related stocks like Jabil and Accenture are likely to remain in focus as companies look to integrate AI into operations. Meanwhile, ongoing political decisions—especially involving TikTok—could spark volatility in tech. Gold could rise if inflation comes in cooler than expected.

With rate cut hopes on hold and tech earnings in the spotlight, expect a measured tone in today’s trading.

Sources: (Investing.com, Reuters.com)