Stock Futures Point Higher After October PPI Data

Stock futures are higher this morning, as a rebound in Nvidia (NVDA) and cooler-than-expected inflation data lift Wall Street sentiment. October's producer price index (PPI) rose 0.3% month on month, below estimates of 0.4%. On an annual basis, wholesale prices increased 6.5%, its highest reading since November 2022.

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) futures are up 212 points, while the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) are headed for modest gains. Despite this week's volatility, all three major indexes are on track for weekly wins, with the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC) up 3.2% heading into Friday's session.

Continue reading for more on today's market, including:

• Lowe's stock flashing historically bearish signal. 
• A look at Target stock before next week's report. 
• Plus, Plus, more on NVDA; MSFT slips amid service outages; and PANW rises on an upgrade.

5 Things You Need to Know Today

1. The Cboe Option Exchange saw 2.9 million call contracts and 2.1 million put contracts traded on Thursday. The single-session equity put/call ratio rose to 0.72, while the 21-day moving average remained at 0.59. 
2. Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is up more than 2% premarket, bouncing back from Thursday's 4.3% drop following CEO Jensen Huang's resignation. Huang stepped down amid reports of multiple extramarital affairs, including one with an alleged Chinese spy, which had raised concerns about his future at the chipmaker. NVDA is down 10.9% year to date.
3. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is down 1.3% before the bell, as the tech giant grapples with a widespread service outage affecting Outlook, Teams, and other platforms. The shares are up 8.1% in 2026.
4. Palo Alto Networks Inc (NASDAQ:PANW) is up 2.4% in premarket trading, after KeyBanc upgraded the cybersecurity firm to "overweight" from "sector weight." The firm highlighted the company's strength in AI cybersecurity and expectations for accelerating security spending through 2027. The brokerage also pointed to an attractive entry point. PANW is up 75.2% year to date.
5. Light earnings and economic data are on tap next week.      

Tech Weakness Still Weighs Overseas

Asian stock market sentiment remained broadly lower on Friday amid NVDA's slide. Meanwhile, Japan’s Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said he will work with the U.S. to address the one-sided foreign exchange market, after the yen crossed 160 against the dollar. Hong Kong’s Hang Sang led regional losses with a 1.6% pullback, China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.6%, and South Korea’s Kospi slid 1%. Japan’s Nikkei bucked the trend, adding 0.5%.

Markets in Europe are moving quietly lower. At last glance, London’s FTSE is up 0.05%, while both France’s CAC 40 and Germany’s DAX are off 0.2%.