Thursday August 11th

U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday as Wall Street was poised to rally for a second day after another better-than-expected inflation report. Futures tied to the Dow Jones added 0.7% or 245 points, while S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.6% and 0.7%, respectively. Investor sentiment got a boost when the July producer price index showed a surprise decline month over month. PPI showed a decline of 0.5%, compared to an estimate of a 0.2% gain, according to a Dow Jones survey. The PPI reading excluding food and energy rose less than expected. That reading follows an encouraging read on the consumer price index for July on Wednesday. CPI came in at 8.5%, slightly cooler than the 8.7% expected by analysts surveyed by Dow Jones and a slowing pace from the prior month. Wednesday’s regular trading session saw all the major indexes rally, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumping 535.10 points, or 1.63%, to close at 33,309.51. The S&P 500 added 2.13% to 4,210.24 and hit its highest level since early May, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 2.89% to 12,854.80, its highest close since late April. The S&P 500 has now rallied more than 15% off its mid-June bear market low and now sits 12% off its record high. “The trend is our friend here. The markets will appreciate this as one step forward in the right direction for inflation, yesterday and today,” said Mona Mahajan, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones, on “Squawk Box.” “For markets, we really can’t fight the momentum we’ve been seeing in the near term,” Mahajan said, but she added that further Federal Reserve rate hikes and a softening labor market could limit gains. Earnings reports were also boosting futures. Disney shares jumped more than 8% in premarket trading after the media giant posted stronger-than-anticipated subscriber numbers for the last quarter, along with earnings and revenue that topped expectations. Disney also said it would raise prices for Disney+. Asia-Pacific markets climbed on Thursday after a better-than-expected inflation report in the U.S. sent stocks spiraling higher. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index advanced 2.4% to 20,082.43, with the Hang Seng Tech index rising 3.67%. Mainland China markets also ticked up. The Shanghai Composite gained 1.6% to close at 3,281.67 and the Shenzhen Component climbed 2.05% to 12,474.03. The Kospi in South Korea was 1.73% higher at 2,523.78 and the Kosdaq jumped 1.45% to 832.15. Japan’s market is closed for a holiday Thursday. Oil prices rose by over 1% on Thursday after the International Energy Agency raised its oil demand growth forecast for this year as soaring gas prices drive some consumers to switch to oil. Brent crude futures gained $1.04, or 1.1%, to $98.44 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose $1.03, or 1.1%, to $92.96. Gold prices eased on Thursday from last session’s one-month peak, weighed down by hawkish policy remarks by U.S. Federal Reserve officials even as data pointed to signs of inflation peaking. Spot gold edged 0.05% lower to $1,791.25 per ounce by 7:25 am ET , after hitting its highest since July 5 at $1,807.79 on Wednesday. U.S. gold futures fell 0.4% to $1,806.7.