United States stock futures edged higher on Thursday night (Friday AEDT), recovering slightly from a sharp selloff in major technology and artificial intelligence names that rattled Wall Street earlier in the day.
By 10:45 am AEDT (11:45 p.m. GMT), Dow futures were up 0.2%, while S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures each added about 0.3%.
In extended deals, Take-Two Interactive Software shares tumbled 6.7% after its Rockstar Games unit delayed the release of Grand Theft Auto VI to November 2026, marking the game’s second postponement.
Airbnb rose 5.4% after delivering stronger-than-expected third-quarter results. The company earned $2.21 per share on revenue of $4.1 billion, beating estimates and issuing upbeat fourth-quarter guidance between $2.66 billion and $2.72 billion.
Block plunged 11.5% after a double miss on earnings and revenue for the sixth consecutive quarter, reporting adjusted earnings of 54 cents a share on $6.11 billion in revenue versus estimates of 67 cents and $6.31 billion.
Expedia surged 14.8% after its third-quarter results exceeded expectations. The company earned $7.57 per share on $4.41 billion in revenue, handily beating forecasts. It also guided for fourth-quarter revenue growth of 6–8%, well above the 2.7% consensus estimate.
Affirm gained over 12% in extended trading after the fintech firm’s fiscal first-quarter earnings topped expectations. It reported earnings of 23 cents per share on $933 million in revenue, compared with forecasts for 11 cents on $883 million.
The modest rebound followed a rough session for U.S. equities, where AI leaders led losses amid mounting concerns about stretched valuations.
The downturn was worsened by private labour market data showing October job cuts at their highest level in more than two decades, making 2025 the worst year for layoffs since 2009.
All three major indexes finished lower on Thursday. The Dow fell nearly 400 points, or 0.8%, to 46,912.3, while the S&P 500 lost 1.1% to 6,720.3. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 1.9% to 23,054.0.
Despite the week’s volatility, some investors remain cautiously optimistic that an end to the record-long U.S. government shutdown and a potential Federal Reserve rate cut in December could provide near-term relief.
Market participants are also monitoring the Supreme Court’s ongoing review of the legality of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the broader trajectory of third-quarter corporate earnings.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Labor Statistics is once again unable to publish the nonfarm payrolls report due to the shutdown.
