Stock Markets April 30, 2026 09:24 AM

Mega-Cap Tech Strength Offsets Weakness in Autos and Refineries as Futures Rise

Alphabet and Amazon lift premarket futures after cloud beats; Ford and several auto names soften amid mixed corporate reports

By Derek Hwang GOOGL AMZN MSFT META
Mega-Cap Tech Strength Offsets Weakness in Autos and Refineries as Futures Rise
GOOGL AMZN MSFT META

U.S. equity futures climbed Thursday as crude retreated from earlier four-year highs and investors parsed quarterly results from technology giants and industrial names. Alphabet and Amazon led gains ahead of the open, while notable declines in social media, automakers and refining names weighed on the overall premarket landscape.

Key Points

  • Premarket futures rose as oil pulled back from a sharp climb to four-year highs and several large-cap technology firms reported earnings.
  • Alphabet and Amazon advanced on cloud revenue strength; Microsoft’s cloud results met expectations but shares traded lower premarket.
  • Autos and energy showed strain: Ford and Stellantis weakened on guidance and returns, while PBF Energy posted larger-than-expected mark-to-market losses tied to volatile commodity prices.

U.S. stock futures were firmer in premarket trading on Thursday, with gains concentrated in large technology companies even as recent oil volatility eased from a sharp surge to four-year highs. By 07:32 ET (11:32 GMT), Dow futures were up roughly 296 points, or about 0.6%, S&P 500 futures had gained near 27 points, or 0.4%, and Nasdaq 100 futures were higher by approximately 149 points, or 0.5%.

Investors were digesting quarterly reports from several household-name companies, with technology and cloud revenue trends driving a number of the premarket moves.

Tech movers

  • Alphabet, the parent of Google, climbed in extended trading after reporting cloud-sales growth that exceeded expectations.

  • Amazon also rose, helped by stronger-than-expected expansion at Amazon Web Services, which saw its largest revenue increase since 2022.

  • Microsoft's cloud revenue largely matched forecasts, and while the company guided for an acceleration in the second half of the year, its shares were trading lower before the market opened.

  • Meta Platforms fell sharply, dropping more than 9% after the company raised its planned capital expenditures for 2026 by $20 billion to a range of $125 billion to $145 billion.

Healthcare, financials and alternatives

  • AbbVie gained after BofA Global Research upgraded the drugmaker from "neutral" to "buy," citing concerns about competitive pressures that the bank now views as overblown.

  • Blue Owl Capital advanced on the back of stronger fee-related earnings and assets, despite recent negative sentiment toward private credit more broadly.

Autos, industrials and consumer-facing names

  • Carvana reported first-quarter revenue above estimates, driven by used-vehicle volumes that rose to a record high for the company.

  • Caterpillar edged higher after reporting adjusted first-quarter earnings per share that topped expectations.

  • Ford shares declined after the automaker's first-quarter results were overshadowed by guidance that Citi analysts described as weak.

  • Stellantis's U.S.-listed shares fell following first-quarter results that showed disappointing returns in North America.

Energy sector reaction

Refiner PBF Energy dipped in premarket trade after reporting a first-quarter loss per share that was larger than analysts had expected. The wider-than-anticipated loss reflected mark-to-market derivative losses the company recorded, which were tied to the recent choppy movement in commodity prices.

Overall, the premarket session painted a mixed picture: strong cloud and technology revenue trends supported futures, while weakness in auto guidance, increased capital spending at a major social-media company, and commodity-driven losses at a refiner underlined ongoing pockets of risk across sectors.

Risks

  • Oil-price volatility remains a factor for market sentiment and can directly affect energy-sector earnings and refiners' mark-to-market results - impacting the energy sector.
  • Company guidance perceived as weak can pressure equity prices in capital-intensive industries, as illustrated by Ford’s results and commentary - affecting the autos sector.
  • Significant increases in planned capital expenditures, such as Meta Platforms’ higher 2026 capex range, can weigh on investor sentiment for technology and social-media stocks - affecting the tech sector.

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