US stock markets were experiencing a period of stability ahead of the Thursday opening bell as investors evaluate the latest data on initial jobless claims and producer price index figures. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by 0.2%, while S&P 500 futures decreased by 0.05%, and Nasdaq futures slipped by 0.1%.
Oil prices saw a rise, with North Sea Brent crude up by 1.1% and US West Texas Intermediate crude also rising by 1.1%. Initial jobless claims, which indicate the number of people filing for unemployment insurance for the first time, dropped to 217,000 from the previous week's 221,000, which was also below the 224,000 analysts expected.
The producer price index, which reflects changes in the input prices of raw, semi-finished, or finished goods and services, increased by 0.2% in October, up from 0.1% in September, conforming to analyst expectations. Additionally, later today, the Energy Information Administration will release its crude oil inventories report, anticipated to show a decline to 1 million barrels from 2.215 million barrels the previous month.
Globally, Japan's Nikkei fell by 0.5%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped nearly 2%, while China's Shanghai Composite declined by 1.7%. In the European market during the early afternoon, the UK's FTSE 100 saw a slight increase of 0.1%, Germany's DAX 30 climbed 1.5%, France's CAC 40 rose by 1.3%, and Spain's IBEX 35 grew by almost 1%.
In the equities sector, BTC Digital's shares surged by 43%, following an impressive 68% gain in the prior session. Quantum Computing's stock skyrocketed by 31%, adding to a remarkable 93% increase from Wednesday's session. Gaxos.ai's shares advanced by 55% after their board approved a purchase plan of up to $1 million in Bitcoin.
BTCS Inc. reported a 26% increase after announcing higher Q3 revenue year-over-year. Meanwhile, Bowman Consulting Group experienced a nearly 10% rise after a previous 2% loss on Wednesday. On the downside, Nuvectis Pharma's shares plummeted by 54% after revealing data from its phase 1b trial evaluating NXP800.
Digital Brands Group's shares fell by 28%, erasing part of a recent 41% increase. First United Corporation's stock dropped by 21% after a slight loss in the previous session. Calidi Biotherapeutics' shares tumbled by 20% after a notable 60% surge. Harrow's stock decreased by 18% after reporting lower-than-expected total revenue for Q3.
$BTCT $QUBT $GXAI $BTCS $BWMN $HROW $CLDI $DBGI $NVCT.