U.S. stock futures are relatively flat in premarket trading after the S&P 500 posted its third straight day of all-time highs. The Dow index is outperforming this morning after Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway disclosed a stake in United healthcare (UNH). Stocks are set to end the week with solid gains led by a resurgence in small caps (RUT). Investor focus today will be on the fallout from hotter than expected PPI numbers along with data, including July Retail Sales and Consumer Sentiment figures. 

• Oil (/CL) – Oil prices are down 0.9% near $63.40 a barrel as traders awaited talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, which some expect could lead to an easing of the sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine war.

• Gold (/GC) – Gold prices are flat near $3385, as hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data dented hopes for a super-sized 50-basis-point (bps) Federal Reserve rate cut in September.

• Bitcoin (/BTC) – The Crypto Future is up 1% near 119,500 in the premarket. Bitcoin hit an all-time high above 125K yesterday.

• VIX – The CBOE Volatility Index was down 2.3% on Thursday and settled at 14.83 as stocks were relatively muted. The VIX came off its lowest level since December 24th of 2024 on Wednesday. 

• U.S. Dollar (/DX) – The dollar is down at 97.88

• DA Davidson upgrades Salesforce (CRM) to Neutral from Underperform

• CIBC upgrades Willams (WMB) to Outperformer from Neutral

• Raymond James upgrades Wingstop (WING) to Strong Buy from Outperform

• Summit Insights downgrades Applied Materials (AMAT) to Hold from Buy

• HSBC downgrades Cisco (CSCO) to Hold from Buy

• BofA downgrades Target (TGT) to Underperform from Neutral

Tune in live from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, or anytime, anywhere, on‑demand.

Or stream it via thinkorswim® and thinkorswim Mobile, available through our broker-dealer affiliate, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc

Please do not reply to this email. Replies are not delivered to Schwab Network. For inquiries or comments, please email [email protected].

See how your information is protected with our privacy statement.  

This material is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered a personalized recommendation or investment advice. Investors should review investment strategies for their own particular situations before making any decisions.

Schwab Network is brought to you by Charles Schwab Media Productions Company (“CSMPC”). CSMPC is a subsidiary of The Charles Schwab Corporation and is not a financial advisor, registered investment advisor, broker-dealer, or futures commission merchant.

Charles Schwab Media Productions Company and all third parties mentioned are separate and unaffiliated, and are not responsible for one another's policies, services or opinions.

Data contained herein is obtained from what are considered reliable sources. However, its accuracy, completeness, or reliability cannot be guaranteed. All events and times listed are subject to change without notice.