Exchange-Traded Funds, Equity Futures Lower Pre-Bell Wednesday Amid CPI Inflation Data

BY MT Newswires | ECONOMIC | 08:52 AM EDT

08:52 AM EDT, 03/11/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was down 0.1% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.1% lower in Wednesday's premarket activity amid CPI inflation data.

US stock futures were also lower, with S&P 500 Index futures down 0.1%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipping 0.1%, and Nasdaq futures retreating 0.1% before the start of regular trading.

US mortgage applications rose 3.2% in the week ended March 6, extending the prior week's gains despite a rise in mortgage rates, Mortgage Bankers Association data showed Wednesday.

US consumer prices gained 0.3% in February, in line with expectations and up from a 0.2% increase in January, while core consumer prices, which exclude food and energy, increased 0.2%, matching forecasts and slowing from a 0.3% gain in the prior month.

The weekly EIA domestic petroleum inventories report will be released at 10:30 am.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was down by 0.8%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 0.9% lower, Ether ETF (EETH) retreated 0.8%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) was flat.

Power Play:

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) advanced 0.6%, while the State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE) was up by 0.1%.

Kosmos Energy (KOS) stock was down more than 20% before the opening bell after the company said late Tuesday it priced an underwritten public offering of 97.5 million of its common shares at $1.90 apiece for gross proceeds of about $185.3 million.

Winners and Losers:

Technology

The State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK) gained 0.1%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.02% lower, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was flat. Among semiconductor ETFs, the State Street SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) was up 0.4%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) declined by by 0.04%.

Oracle (ORCL) shares were up more than 9% in premarket activity after the company overnight reported higher fiscal Q3 adjusted earnings and revenue.

Industrial

The State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI) advanced 0.2%, while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) retreated 0.1% and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was 0.8% lower.

UniFirst (UNF) stock was up more than 7% before the opening bell, while Cintas (CTAS) shares fell nearly 3% after the companies said Cintas (CTAS) will acquire UniFirst (UNF) in a cash and stock deal valued at about $5.50 billion.

Financial

The State Street Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF) declined by 0.2%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was down 0.9%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 1.2% lower.

Bread Financial (BFH) shares were up more than 3% pre-bell after the company reported end-of-period credit card and other loans of $18.08 billion at the end of February, up from $17.95 billion a year earlier.

Consumer

The State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLP) was flat and the Vanguard Consumer Staples Index Fund ETF Shares (VDC) was down 1.2%. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive. The State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) lost 0.04%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) was 1.1% lower.

ATRenew (RERE) shares were up more than 2% pre-bell after the company reported higher Q4 adjusted net income and revenue.

Health Care

The State Street Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) retreated by 0.02%, the Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) advanced by 0.04%, while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) and the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) were inactive.

Haleon (HLN) stock was down more than 1% premarket after the company said it is investing 65 million British pounds ($87.3 million) in a new oral health manufacturing facility in Shanghai in a bid to expand production of brands such as Sensodyne and Parodontax in China.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose by 3.6% to $86.45 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas advanced by 2.8% to $3.10 per 1 million British Thermal Units. The United States Oil Fund (USO) increased by 0.04%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 1.6% higher.

Gold futures for March retreated by 1% to $5,188.70 an ounce on the Comex. Silver futures were down by 3.6% at $86.36 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) decreased by 0.1%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) fell by 2%.

MT Newswires does not provide investment advice. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

fir_news_article