The U.S stocks future went down a bit on Thursday as Wall Street started to process the Federal Reserve’s rate cut that was widely expected, and the focus shifted back to the corporate basics. As the earnings season was coming to an end, the stories about individual stocks became the main topic, and the premarket-board was in the spotlight for a few big-name companies.
From worries of cloud spending to pharmaceutical innovations and crypto enthusiasm, the morning’s movers were in harmony with a market that was adjusting its expectations in real time.
Oracle Faces a Blow as AI Meets Cost Pressure
Shares of Oracle fell heavily by 12% during premarket trades after the tech giant made public an outlook for revenue and profits that was lower than the expectations of analysts on Wall Street. However, what really upset the investors was the news that the company’s spending would go up by an extra $15 billion, which is a huge number at a time when the market in general is doubting whether the AI investments can produce returns in the near future.
Oracle’s fall reveals that due to uncertainty and irregularity, the AI gold rush may be powerful, but the return is still not guaranteed.
Adobe Weakens Despite Strong Guidance
Adobe stock shrank a little by 0.6%, and along with that the tech sector sentiment fell as well, even with revenue and profit guidance surpassed by a good margin to the market’s expectations. The not so exciting reaction demonstrates that macro factors may sometimes be strong enough to overshadow good fundamentals.
However, the company has built a reputation of being early to the market in terms of AI monetization and this could be the reason why it has positioned itself better than its rivals in the competition.
Eli Lilly Promising Weight-Loss Data
Eli Lilly was one of the major gainers in the morning session, as the stock rose 1.6% after the late-stage trial results of its new obesity drug were made public. Patients lost an average of 28.7% of their body weight, which is better than the results observed with Zepbound, and hence confirming the company’s stronghold in the rapidly growing metabolic-health market.
The multibillion-dollar empire of obesity drugs is being built and Lilly’s clinical momentum is constantly giving the investors more and more reasons to be positive about the future.
Broadcom Descends Ahead of Earnings
Broadcom was down slightly by 1.4% just before its earnings announcement, although Mizuho’s very optimistic forecasts, which include $86.9 billion in revenue and $9.34 in EPS for fiscal 2026, and AI sales of $41.1 billion, exceeding Wall Street’s expectations, are in its favor.
The company’s position, somewhat like that of the whole semiconductor sector, reflects that even the most solid AI-driven growth stories face the skepticism of investors unless they demonstrate hard numbers. After several months of having high expectations already priced into the stock, the investors seem to be waiting for confirmation to make further commitments.
Gemini Space Station & Planet Labs Surge
Gemini Space Station’s rose 14%, which was very much in contrast with the tech laggards of the day, it was accelerated by the CFTC’s authorization for a derivatives exchange. It is an achievement that enables the company to enter into the rapidly growing prediction-markets domain.
On the other hand, Planet Labs soared 17% on better than expected earnings, which was driven by the growing demand for satellite imaging and AI-powered analytics, the two sectors that are seeing rapid enterprise adoption. For both companies, the regulatory wins and the real-world AI use are turning out to be the driving forces.
Consumer & Retail Weakness Pulls Down Oxford Industries
Oxford Industries fell 22%, which was one of the most affected companies in the morning in terms of stock price drop, and its management decision to lower the full-year earnings guidance is the main reason for this. The holiday season that began quite softer than expected, suddenly set off a warning bell. This confirmed that the concern of the disposable income for spending is still fluctuating, despite inflation calming down.
The company’s outlook adjustment, which is closely connected to the consumer’s mood, was done taking into consideration the pressure all through the lifestyle retail segment with brands like Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer.
Infrastructure & Telecom
Networking equipment manufacturer Ciena, surged 8.3% after it released fiscal Q4 results that exceeded expectations all around. The main reason for this increase was strong demand from cloud providers and the growing need for AI infrastructure.
Thus, the company became one of the morning’s leading performers in the enterprise hardware sector. Ciena’s outcomes illustrate the fact that while AI hype might be inconsistent with software companies, it is the infrastructure players that already benefit from having the demand being immediate and tangible.
Manchester United Dips on Weaker Financials
The stock of Manchester United dipped 4.2% after the club announced a first-quarter net loss. With the current season being free of European competition, broadcasting revenue and ticket sales got hit hard. Thus, investors were reminded how significant international play was to the club’s financial power.
Although the team is still among the most famous brands in sports globally, the revenue gap is hard to close without major successes on the competition front.
Bottom Line
Current rate cuts, reducing earnings momentum, and increasing scrutiny over AI investments are the factors that have shaped the market, and today’s premarket moves reflect a wider reevaluation rather than single missteps.
Oracle’s drop, Adobe’s quiet slip, and Broadcom’s sensible withdrawal indicate that even front-runners in the industry are not immune to the changing expectations. On the other hand, the likes of Eli Lilly, Planet Labs, and Gemini Space Station confirm that innovation and regulatory victories can still have a significant impact.
