01 Stock Market

As of Aug 26, U.S. stock index futures performed as follows: Dow contracts inched up 0.03%, while S&P 500 futures eased 0.05% and Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.18%. The narrow moves reflect a cautious tone ahead of a packed earnings calendar and a high-profile central-bank gathering; traders are weighing mixed tech sentiment against lower bond yields and softer commodity prices.

Notable Stock Movers: Software giant INTU down 9.22% at $324.50 after a subdued revenue outlook, dragging peers in application software. Apparel retailer ANF up 10.2% at $ — on a raised sales forecast, while semiconductor equipment maker SMTC up 3.3% at $ — following better-than-expected guidance. AI-linked newcomer SFWL up 10.11% at $0.98 and advanced-reactor developer OKLO up 2.92% at $45.56 extended recent breakouts. In megacaps, META up 1.41% at $578.06 on fresh monetization talk, whereas electric-vehicle bellwether TSLA down 0.32% at $349.14 ahead of industry data.

Market focus heading into the open remains on AI and retail catalysts. Chip leader NVDA down 0.04% at $212.97 trades quietly before its results, with options pricing in the smallest post-earnings swing in five years; investors look for clues on data-center demand and margins. Retail sentiment is bifurcated: department-store chain KSS down 6% at $ — after missing sales estimates, while e-commerce platform LITB up 6.97% at $3.30. Overall, pre-bell action suggests selective positioning rather than broad risk-on appetite.

02 Other Markets

• 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell 0.01%, to 4.64%.

• U.S. Dollar Index rose 0.0647% to 98.99.

• WTI crude oil futures fell 2.15% to 80.59 USD/barrel; COMEX gold futures fell 0.26% to 4682.40 USD/ounce.

03 Key News

1. Abercrombie & Fitch lifted its full-year sales outlook, boosting shares over 10% in the pre-market. Management now targets about 5% annual revenue growth versus the prior 3%–5% range, citing resilient U.S. demand despite volatile international trends. The upbeat guidance signals sustained recovery in discretionary apparel spending at the specialty retailer.

2. Kohl’s missed quarterly sales but raised profit guidance and reinstated its share-repurchase program. Revenue declined 0.9% year on year as budget-conscious consumers curbed discretionary purchases, yet tariff refunds and cost controls allowed management to project adjusted earnings of $1.80–$2.40 per share and resume a $100 million buyback.

3. Tesla China filed a police report to quash rumors of an idle Shanghai data center. The company confirmed the facility is operating normally and said hiring for driver-assistance roles is accelerating, underscoring continued investment in local autonomous-driving infrastructure.

4. Redwire reported $165.8 million in second-quarter bookings, driving its book-to-bill ratio to 1.42 times. Backlog climbed nearly 9% sequentially to $542 million, with national-security contracts accounting for almost half of revenue, highlighting robust demand for space-defense technology.

5. MiniMax more than tripled first-half revenue to $116.6 million while narrowing its IFRS net loss by 11%. Improved infrastructure efficiency lifted gross margin to 17.9%, though non-IFRS losses widened as the AI platform scaled its open-model services.

6. Li Auto swung to a RMB 1.7 billion net loss and forecast softer third-quarter deliveries of up to 100,000 vehicles. Revenue fell 15.1% amid shifting product mix and lower average selling prices, pushing vehicle margin down to 9.4% and pressuring shares in early trade.

7. Semtech beat consensus on earnings and guidance, sending the stock up over 3% pre-bell. Management highlighted demand resilience in advanced connectivity chips and signaled continued cost discipline, easing concerns after prior inventory headwinds.

8. Intuit projected slower full-year revenue growth, triggering a double-digit share decline. Executives warned that customer-acquisition investments will weigh on near-term sales, even as the firm targets longer-run market-share gains for TurboTax and Credit Karma.

9. Zoom forecast third-quarter profit below expectations amid intensifying competition in AI-enhanced video services. The guidance implies margin pressure as the platform accelerates spending on new collaboration tools to fend off rivals, prompting a 5% pre-market drop.

10. UP Fintech posted record quarterly revenue of $182.3 million and a 20% sequential jump in non-GAAP net income. Funded accounts surpassed 1.3 million, with client assets rising 16.7% to $60.7 billion; management emphasized strong inflows from Hong Kong, Australia, and U.S. users as its global brokerage platform broadens ETF access.

Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones, Tiger Newspress, public market data

Disclaimer: For informational purposes only; not investment advice.