U.S. stock index futures struggled for direction on Thursday as a clutch of earnings reports again pointed to a slowing global economy, while holding up in the face of already reduced expectations.
Southwest Airlines Co squeezed out a small profit in the second quarter as strong bookings helped soften the financial blow of the Boeing 737 MAX grounding, which the carrier said forced it to cease operations at Newark Liberty International.
U.S. weapons maker Raytheon Co on Thursday reported a better-than-expected second-quarter profit and raised its full-year profit and sales outlook, helped by higher sales of missiles and guns for naval ships.
(Corrects reference to J.C. Penney headquarters in second paragraph in this July 24th story)
U.S. chemical company Dow Inc on Thursday posted a 39% fall in adjusted quarterly profit, driven by price declines for some of its products and lower volumes.
French energy giant Total will sell around $5 billion worth of assets, mostly from its upstream exploration and production business, as it seeks to focus on low breakeven projects that can weather weak oil prices, it said on Thursday.
Oil prices rose on Thursday amid Middle East tensions and a big fall in U.S. crude stocks, but gains were capped as weak Western manufacturing data indicated slowing economic growth and in turn the potential for reduced fuel demand.
Euro and bond yields wilted on Thursday as a slump in German business confidence piled the pressure on the European Central Bank to push interest rates even deeper into sub-zero territory later.
Salesforce.com Inc said on Wednesday it will partner with Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd , as the U.S. cloud-based service provider looks to make inroads into the Chinese software market with its products.
Anheuser-Busch InBev , the world’s largest brewer, beat earnings expectations after beer sales grew at their fastest pace in over five years, helped by increases in Latin America, Europe and Africa and a later Easter.
Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun issued a lengthy public apology on Thursday for the manner in which he promoted his $4.57 million charity lunch with Warren Buffett, raising questions over whether the event will go ahead.
Japanese car maker Nissan Motor Co said it is axing 12,500 jobs and warned a quick turnaround in its performance was not imminent after reporting its quarterly profit was nearly wiped out.
Nike Inc , the world’s largest sportswear maker, is exploring options for its surfwear brand Hurley International, including its possible divestment, according to people familiar with the matter.
Consumer goods giant Unilever Plc reported slightly weaker-than-expected quarterly underlying sales growth on Thursday, hit by wet weather in Europe and moderating growth in India, but kept its full-year sales target intact.
Nissan Motor Co said on Thursday it would slash 12,500 jobs globally by 2022 and cut output to rein in costs as it suffers from sluggish sales and rising costs and tries to recover from a scandal surrounding ousted Chairman Carlos Ghosn.
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