Live Updates
Share

Stock futures are little changed after market rallies to all-time highs: Live updates

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 18, 2025.
NYSE

Stock futures are near flat Thursday night following a winning session that sent indexes to new records as the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates set in investors' minds.

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 9 points. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures each rose 0.1%.

The three major averages closed at all-time highs and notched fresh intraday records on Thursday. Notably, the small cap-focused Russell 2000 surged 2.5%, ending the session at a record for the first time since 2021.

"The market is being held afloat by the earnings numbers," said Aswath Damodaran, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, on CNBC's "Closing Bell." "As long as the earnings numbers keep coming in, there is no catalyst for an adjustment."

"It's not just Big Tech. It's not just tech," he added. "It's collectively all stocks."

Thursday's moves come a day after the Fed cut interest rates for the first time this year. Stocks had a volatile session on Wednesday as investors initially reacted to the central bank's decision and its economic projections.

With Thursday's gains, the Dow and S&P 500 are both on track to finish the week 0.7% higher. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite has climbed 1.5%, while the Russell 2000 has jumped nearly 3%.

There are no economic reports or major earnings reports scheduled for Friday.

Gold goes for 5-week winning streak

Gold futures rose 0.3% on Friday, putting the metal on pace to eke out a 0.1% advance for the week. If that small gain holds, it would stretch gold's weekly winning streak to five. Gold has been on a tear recently as the dollar falls on expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts.

Stock Chart IconStock chart icon
hide content
Gold futures year to date

— Fred Imbert

Lennar shares down 3% as incentives fail to stoke home demand

Mortgage rate buydowns and other cost adjustments failed to tempt would-be home buyers in the third quarter, according to Lennar.

The homebuilder's stock is down more than 3% in extended trading after its earnings cratered 46%, hurt by a combination of weak demand and profit margin pressure. Although earnings topped estimates, investors were disappointed that fourth-quarter home deliveries will be shy of analyst estimates.

Lennar has been dangling incentives to coax buyers into the market, but affordability remains an issue with elevated home prices and interest rates.

In the third quarter, Lennar earned $2.29 per share on revenue of $8.81 billion. Analysts surveyed by LSEG expected Lennar to earn $2.10 per share on $9 billion in revenue.

Shares are down 2.6% year to date.

—Christina Cheddar Berk

Russell 2000 sees first record close since 2021

The small cap-focused Russell 2000 recorded its first all-time closing high since late 2021 on Thursday. The index also hit a new intraday record in the session.

With Thursday's gain, the index has jumped 3% week to date. It's on track to see its seventh straight winning week, which would be its longest rally since late 2020.

Stock Chart IconStock chart icon
hide content
The Russell 2000

— Alex Harring, Nick Wells

See the stocks moving after hours

Two well-known stocks were making big moves in after-hour trading.

FedEx shares popped 5.8% following a better-than-expected earnings report for the fiscal first quarter. FedEx earned an adjusted $3.83 per share on $22.24 billion in revenue. Analysts polled by LSEG forecasted $3.59 per share and $21.66 billion.

Scholastic, on the other hand, fell 11%. The publisher posted a loss per share of $2.52 for the fiscal first quarter, excluding items, wider than the loss of $2.13 per share seen in the same period a year prior.

— Alex Harring

Stock futures are little changed

Futures tied to the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 all ticked about 0.1% higher shortly after 6 p.m. ET Thursday.

— Alex Harring