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US stock futures pointed in different directions before Thursday's open, with Nasdaq futures down more than 1% while S&P 500 and Dow futures held closer to flat. Wednesday's hotter-than-expected inflation reading kept rate-hike fears front and center, and a worldwide semiconductor selloff did the rest.
Biggest premarket movers — Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026 (as of premarket trading, before 9:30am ET open)
| Company (ticker) | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|
| Penske Automotive (PAG) | +8.6% | Agreed to be taken private by Motown Acquisition Corp |
| Walmart (WMT) | +2.6% | Deutsche Bank upgrade to buy from hold |
| ImmunityBio (IBRX) | +2% | FDA expanded approval of its immunotherapy drug |
| Crocs (CROX) | +2% | Barclays upgrade to overweight from equal weight |
| Rocket Lab (RKLB) | -10% | Neutron rocket first launch delayed to 2027 |
| SK Hynix (SKHY) | -7% | Global chip selloff, Kospi fell 7.6% |
| CoreWeave (CRWV) | -6% | Worries over debt-funded AI build-out |
| Vanda Pharmaceuticals (VNDA) | -5% | Phase 3 trial failure |
| Micron (MU) | -3.7% | Global memory weakness |
| Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) | -2.3% | AI/chip selloff |
| Oracle (ORCL) | -2.1% | AI-linked selloff |
| TSMC (TSM) | -2% | Cautious 2027 commentary despite record quarterly profit |
| Tesla (TSLA) | -2% | Ahead of Roadster event |
| Nvidia (NVDA) | -1.8% | Chip sector selloff |
The AI trade takes another hit
CoreWeave fell 6% before the bell, its second straight decline, after sliding more than 15% on Wednesday. Traders are questioning how much debt cloud and AI firms are piling on to fund data center expansion.
SK Hynix slid 7% as the chip rout spread. The Korean memory maker was among the worst hit as South Korea's Kospi slipped over 7%.
Taiwan Semiconductor dropped ~2% even after logging a sixth straight record quarterly profit. Management flagged caution about 2027 on macroeconomic uncertainty.
Micron lost 3.7% on weak global memory conditions. Advanced Micro Devices slipped 2.3% and Nvidia eased 1.8% as the sector sold off together.
Oracle fell 2.1%, caught in the same reassessment of the sustainability of data center spending that's hitting its AI-linked peers.
Rocket Lab sank 10% after pushing the debut flight of its Neutron rocket into 2027. CEO Peter Beck pointed to tiny air pockets between layers of carbon fiber in a forward propellant dome, a defect that showed up after a manufacturing change meant to strengthen the part. Assembly and testing should wrap in the first quarter of 2027, and the company says customer demand hasn't wavered. It's the second timeline slip since August.
Deals and upgrades lift a few names
Penske Automotive jumped 8.6%, the morning's biggest gainer, after agreeing to go private in a deal with Motown Acquisition Corp.
Walmart climbed 2.6% on a Deutsche Bank upgrade to buy from hold, one of the few large caps in the green.
Crocs rose ~2% after Barclays upgraded Crocs to overweight from equal weight.
ImmunityBio gained 2% after the Food and Drug Administration widened approval of its immunotherapy treatment.
Vanda Pharmaceuticals fell 5% following a failed phase 3 trial, the flip side of the biotech tape.
Ericsson also featured among Thursday's biggest stock movers as investors worked through a heavy batch of corporate earnings and macro data.
Tesla slipped ~2% ahead of its Roadster event later today, with traders also watching the rest of this week's economic releases for clues on the Federal Reserve's next move.
