U.S. stock futures rose Thursday evening after the Federal Reserve delivered its first rate hike in three years, adding 25 basis points to bring the benchmark rate to 4.0%.
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh struck a hawkish tone in post-meeting remarks, warning that inflation remained "too high" and financial conditions were "not restrictive enough." The comments set up a public disagreement with President Donald Trump, who said rates should be "1% or less" and later told reporters the current level was "not appropriate." Trump added he had confidence in Warsh but acknowledged the chair faced a "very tough board."
By 20:05 ET, the S&P 500 Futures rose 0.48% to 7,659.0 points, Nasdaq 100 Futures gained 0.67% to 29,446.50 points, and Dow Jones Futures climbed 0.50% to 52,175.0 points.
Oil prices retreated from recent peaks following a Reuters report that U.S. officials held secret talks in Oman with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis over the weekend. A Houthi statement said the group had "no intent of attacking U.S. or Israeli ships," raising hopes for easing the offensive against Saudi Arabia. An additional report indicated Riyadh could soon restart a key pipeline at half capacity, following strikes on energy infrastructure over the past week.
Tech stocks found support as Nasdaq futures pointed to a rebound, buoyed by progress on a bill aimed at regulating data center power costs.
On the individual-stock front, Snap Inc (NYSE:SNAP) rose 2.5% in aftermarket trading after announcing an enterprise partnership for its augmented-reality glasses. Generac Holdings Inc (NYSE:GNRC) rallied more than 30% after Amazon was granted warrants to purchase up to $340 million worth of stock in the company as part of a power-supply agreement.
Two previously highlighted AI-related stocks also drew attention: Super Micro Computer, listed among ProPicks winners with a gain of 185%, and AppLovin, which posted a 157% increase. Other movers included Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) and NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA).
