US stocks steadied ahead of keenly-awaited Nvidia earnings

U.S. stocks steadied Wednesday, as investors tracked tumult in eastern Europe ahead of earnings from market darling Nvidia.

At 09:35 ET (14:35 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 72 points, or 0.2%, while the S&P 500 index dropped 2 points, or 0.1%, and the NASDAQ Composite fell 32 points, or 0.2%.  Nvidia earnings in spotlight  

Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA ) is set to release its quarterly earnings after the close, and the results from most valuable listed company in the world will be carefully studied as it is considered as a bellwether for artificial intelligence demand. 

These numbers could well become a gauge for investors’ appetite for tech stocks and sentiment for equities broadly, given its chips are widely seen as the gold standard in the AI-space, and demand for all things to do with artificial intelligence has driven much of this year’s stock market gains.

Technology stocks were mostly upbeat in anticipation of a strong quarterly print from the firm, which has nearly tripled in value this year on an AI-fueled boom.

Elsewhere, Target (NYSE:TGT ) stock slumped 18% after the retailer reported third-quarter earnings that fell well short of analyst expectations and provided disappointing guidance for the full year.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL ) stock lost 0.8% after it said it expects 2025 revenue to grow by a mid-single-digit percentage.

Ford (NYSE:F ) stock fell 1.1% after the auto giant said it would cut around 14% of its European workforce, blaming significant losses in recent years compounded by weak demand for electric vehicles, a lack of government support for the shift to EVs, and rising competition. Geopolitical tensions ratchet up

Gains have been contained Wednesday by an escalation of the geopolitical tensions in eastern Europe after the US embassy in Kyiv was closed following a warning of a possible strike.

This comes a day after Ukraine used US missiles to strike Russian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin also lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike, and this threatens to drag the West further into the Ukraine war. Fed speakers in focus

Back in the US, investors were now watching for just what Trump’s policies and cabinet picks will entail for the economy, amid some concerns that his policies will spur a long term pick-up in inflation.

Still, investors largely maintained bets that interest rates will fall in the near-term, with traders pricing in a 60.6% chance for a 25 basis point cut by the Federal Reserve in December, CME Fedwatch showed.

Investors will listen for commentary from Federal Reserve Governors Lisa Cook  and Michelle Bowman , as well as Boston Fed President Susan Collins during Wednesday's session. Crude rises on Ukraine concerns

Crude prices edged higher Wednesday, helped by concerns about escalating hostilities in the Ukraine war potentially disrupting oil supply from Russia.

By 09:35 ET, the US crude futures (WTI) climbed 0.8% to $69.80 a barrel, while the Brent contract rose 0.6% to $73.78 a barrel.

However, gains have been contained by data from the American Petroleum Institute  showing US crude oil stocks rose by 4.75 million barrels in the week ended Nov. 15, far more than the small 100,000 barrel increase expected.

If this figure is confirmed by the official  data, due later in the session, it would point to a reduction in demand in the world’s largest energy market as the driving season comes to a close. 

(Ambar Warrick contributed to this article.)

   

Source: Investing.com