U.S. equity futures softened on the September Personal Consumption Expenditures report, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation metric. Headline PCE is projected at 0.5 percent month-on-month and 3.6 percent year-over-year, with core PCE expected at 0.3 percent month-on-month.
The Atlanta Fed's GDPNow estimate projects 3.2 percent annualized growth for the third quarter. That combination—sticky inflation plus resilient growth—signals the Fed will hold rates between 3.75 and 4 percent longer than some investors anticipated. Higher borrowing costs directly pressure valuations and financing plans across rate-sensitive sectors.
Vertiv Holdings (VRT) surged 16.48 percent after beating third-quarter guidance and raising full-year forecasts. The data-center infrastructure play continues to benefit from AI infrastructure buildout.
Flex (FLEX) jumped 11.61 percent on strong fiscal 2027 guidance and second-quarter results. Progress on the Axiom spin-off added to the move.
Oracle (ORCL) gained 10.73 percent at its Investor Day, where the company outlined targets for $225 billion in revenue and $30 billion in free cash flow. These long-term goals lifted sentiment around its cloud and AI positioning.
F5 (FFIV) fell 20.43 percent despite solid fourth-quarter results. The company's softer 2027 guidance and a downgrade from Piper Sandler drove the sell-off.
LPL Financial Holdings (LPLA) declined 15.23 percent. The firm's lowered asset retention guidance tied to the Commonwealth deal overshadowed strong third-quarter earnings.
Baker Hughes (BKR) dropped 7.36 percent. Despite solid third-quarter results, crowded positioning and lower analyst price targets prompted a reassessment of near-term upside.
A hacker group claims to have leaked records for over 40,000 U.S. Department of Homeland Security workers through an Okta single sign-on system. Okta said its infrastructure was not compromised. Cybersecurity controls and public-sector contract exposure remain investor concerns.
Visa is expanding its partnership with Tencent after receiving approval from the People's Bank of China to establish a domestic bank card clearing business. The deal targets cross-border payments, AI-powered commerce, and integration with WeChat Pay via Visa Direct. Visa's ability to scale transaction volume in China's payments market will determine investor returns.
Coinbase reports third-quarter earnings today, alongside a Federal Reserve decision and significant options expiries. Trading volumes and earnings quality will signal momentum into year-end.
