U.S. stocks bounced back on Thursday, helped by technology shares as focus shifted to corporate earnings after a cautious message from the Federal Reserve on interest rates drove some of the biggest falls since May in the previous session.
Global grain trader and food processor Archer Daniels Midland Co on Thursday reported a 41.3% drop in second-quarter adjusted profit and missed Wall Street expectations, after being battered by the U.S.-China trade war and severe U.S. weather this spring that disrupted production and transportation.
Odeon Capital senior banking analyst Dick Bove raised his rating on Wells Fargo to buy from hold, citing the banks "enormous financial strength."
General Motors Co posted a better-than-expected net profit on Thursday as high-margin pickup trucks, SUVs and crossovers helped overcome slowing sales in the United States and China, and reiterated its full-year earnings forecast.
Bombardier Inc lowered its full-year earnings and cash flow forecasts and reported a quarterly loss on Thursday, as it faces challenges in its important rail division, sending shares of the Canadian train and plane maker down 18%.
The apparent suicide of India's coffee baron V.G. Siddhartha, under investigation by tax authorities, has inflamed anger toward the government among business leaders who feel it is going too far in its crackdown on fraud and tax evasion.
U.S. manufacturing activity slowed to a near three-year low in July and a measure of new orders received by factories rebounded slightly, as the negative effects of a bitter trade war between the United States and China lingered.
The central bank made "midcycle adjustments" in 1995 and 1998, cutting rates three times, which drove the S&P 500 higher.
With loans for pricey weddings on the rise, experts are concerned about bigger burdens for Americans already swamped with debt.
Uncertainty looms after the Fed's rate cut, but traders haven't lost optimism.
Kellogg Co beat Wall Street expectations for quarterly sales and profit on Thursday, driven by higher demand for its snacks, including Pringles and Pop-Tarts, in North America, sending its shares up about 4% before the bell.
Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Thursday
Fannie Mae's net income fell in the second quarter from a year-ago due to losses on its derivatives, while it is expected to pay $3.4 billion in dividends to the U.S. Treasury, the No. 1 U.S. mortgage financing agency said on Thursday.
The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits increased last week, but the trend in claims remained consistent with tightening labor market conditions.
U.S. stocks were set to open flat on Thursday, with focus shifting back to a mixed bag of corporate earnings after a cautious message from the Federal Reserve on interest rates drove some of the biggest falls since May in the previous session.