U.S. equity futures were trading modestly above the flatline on Friday, with oil prices edging up as market participants digested media reports related to possible talks to end the ongoing war in Iran. By 06:45 ET (10:45 GMT), Dow futures were up roughly 96 points, or about 0.2%, S&P 500 futures had gained around 7 points, or 0.1%, while Nasdaq 100 futures were largely unchanged.
Several individual companies recorded notable premarket moves as investors reacted to quarterly results, product timing confirmations and corporate negotiations.
Key premarket movers
- Take-Two Interactive Software - Shares surged in premarket trade after the video-game publisher reported quarterly net bookings that exceeded expectations and reiterated a November release window for its anticipated title "Grand Theft Auto VI."
- Workday - The enterprise software provider jumped after first-quarter results topped forecasts and the company issued financial guidance that the market interpreted as upbeat, a notable reaction given recent pressure on software names tied to competition from advanced artificial intelligence models.
- Zoom Communications - Zoom climbed about 8% in premarket trading following strong quarterly earnings and forward guidance.
- Quantum-related names - Stocks of companies involved in quantum computing continued to rally, building on gains from the prior session that were sparked by reports the U.S. government awarded $2 billion to IBM and other firms to support the development of quantum wafer facilities. Movers in this group included D-Wave Quantum, GlobalFoundries and Rigetti Computing.
- Estee Lauder - Shares jumped after Estee Lauder and Spanish beauty company Puig announced they had ended talks on a potential combination that would have created one of the world 's largest beauty companies.
- Chip sector - Nvidia edged higher in premarket trade after dropping 1.77% in the prior session following its latest quarterly results. Other chipmakers, including Advanced Micro Devices and Intel, also traded up.
- Deckers Outdoor - The footwear maker slipped slightly despite reporting a rise in quarterly sales driven by strong demand for its Hoka brand.
- Perpetua Resources Corp. - Shares climbed after reports that the mining company secured a $2.9 billion loan from the U.S. Export-Import Bank.
- Ross Stores - The discount retailer gained after reporting stronger-than-expected quarterly profit and raising both comparable sales and full-year earnings forecasts.
- Denali Therapeutics - Denali shares fell after the company and partner Biogen said they would discontinue development of their Parkinson's drug following the therapy's failure to meet the main objective of a mid-stage study.
Overall, the premarket action reflected a mix of event-driven moves tied to earnings beats, guidance and corporate negotiations, alongside broader sector reactions to reported government support for quantum-related manufacturing initiatives and the lingering impact of recent chip earnings.
Investors appeared to be balancing headline geopolitical reports with fresh corporate earnings and development updates as they positioned ahead of the regular trading session.