Nasdaq-100 futures opened lower on Thursday, dragged down mainly by a sharp decline in Alphabet shares following the company’s third-quarter earnings report. Alphabet’s adjusted earnings per share and revenue missed Wall Street expectations, with the tech giant reporting a negative free cash flow of $9.07 billion for the quarter. Despite this, Alphabet maintained its forecast for full-year capital expenditures between $195 billion and $205 billion, amid heightened focus on artificial intelligence investments.

In contrast, Microsoft’s shares rose 3% in after-hours trading, boosted by strong growth in its Azure cloud infrastructure business. The software giant reported better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results, delivering gains on both the top and bottom lines. This divergent performance among tech leaders contributed to a mixed market reaction, with S&P 500 futures down by 0.5% and Dow futures gaining 0.3% during early trading.

Asia-Pacific markets showed mixed results, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rising, while South Korea’s Kospi and China’s CSI 300 experienced declines. Samsung Electronics reported third-quarter operating profit broadly in line with estimates, driven by surging demand for AI-related memory chips. The company also unveiled a $1 billion investment in KKR-backed Helix Digital Infrastructure and forged a partnership with French AI startup Mistral AI to integrate AI technologies into semiconductor operations.

The Federal Reserve decided to hold interest rates steady in its latest meeting, with policymakers signaling patience but leaving the door open for future tightening. Investors are now awaiting key economic reports, including September’s Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, first-quarter GDP figures, and weekly jobless claims. On the corporate front, upcoming earnings reports from Amazon, Intel, Caterpillar, and Eli Lilly will be closely watched as the market digests ongoing developments in the tech and broader sectors.