European semiconductor stocks jumped in early trading on Thursday, after Nvidia‘s revenue growth smashed expectations the previous day.
Leading gains in Europe Thursday morning were Dutch chipmaking equipment manufacturers ASML and ASMI, which both added more than 2%, STMicroelectronics, up 3%, and BE Semiconductor, which gained 2%.
— Chloe Taylor
European stocks were little changed at the open on Thursday, with the pan-European Stoxx 600 dipping just below the flatline.
Regional tech stocks jumped following Nvidia’s blockbuster earnings overnight, with the Stoxx Europe Tech index adding 1.8% and far outpacing other sectors in early trading.
— Chloe Taylor
Shoppers at Roemerberg square in Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026.
Ben Kilb | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Consumer sentiment improved slightly in August, according to the latest NIM and GfK Consumer Climate print, but the index still stood in negative territory.
Consumers are expecting economic conditions to improve, the data showed, with a significant increase in income expectations driving overall sentiment higher.
Despite August being the fourth consecutive month of economic optimism rising, the survey showed German consumers’ willingness to buy “remains at rock bottom.”
— Chloe Taylor
Bottles of Jameson Irish whiskey, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Absolut Vodka, and Olmeca tequila, all produced by Pernod Ricard SA.
Bloomberg | Getty Images
French drinks giant Pernod Ricard, which makes Absolut vodka, Jameson whiskey and Kahlua, reported a 3.9% year-on-year decline in full-year net sales on Thursday, driven by weak demand in the U.S. and China.
Full-year net sales totaled 9.4 billion euros, slightly short of a consensus estimate compiled by LSEG. A negative currency impact also hit earnings in 2026, the company said.
Pernod Ricard said it now expects organic net sales growth to fall at the lower end of its 3% to 6% guidance range between 2027 and 2029, citing softness in the American market.
The company said performance had picked up in the second half of its fiscal year, but improvements were hampered by the U.S.-Iran war in its fourth quarter.
The conflict in the Middle East is expected to weigh on sales in the first quarter of its new fiscal year, the firm added.
— Chloe Taylor
Oil extended declines Thursday as talks between Oman and Iran over reopening the Strait of Hormuz raise hopes for easing supplies.
Futures for international benchmark Brent crude for October delivery declined 0.63% to $87.29 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for October slipped 0.56% at $81.77 per barrel.
Iran and Oman are working on finalizing details of an agreement to control the Strait of Hormuz, according to a senior Iranian source, Reuters reported. This follows comments from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that the two countries had agreed how to share the waterway.
Concerns over the Middle East conflict, however, still persists.
“A perpetual conflict is being fought in the Middle East, now in its sixth month, significantly longer than the promised four to five weeks,” said Tamas Varga, analyst at PVM Oil Associates, adding that “there is no clear pathway to ending it.”
Any agreement between these two parties does not mean that there will be normalization in oil flows through the key chokepoint, ING said in a note.
“We would likely need to see the US lift its blockade on Iranian ports and ease sanctions on Iran before we see any move towards normalization,” ING added.
—Justina Lee
China’s industrial profits growth in July slowed to its weakest pace this year, expanding 11.2% from a year earlier, as soft demand and a broader slowdown in the economy weighed on manufacturers.
For the first seven months of this year, profits climbed 17.6% from a year earlier, according to National Bureau of Statistics data released Thursday, loosing momentum following the 18.7% growth in the first half-year.
Industrial corporate profitability, however, has seen a notable turnaround, swinging from barely positive growth last year to double-digit gains this year. That recovery was largely helped by a global artificial intelligence boom that fueled demand for computing and electronics equipment manufacturing.
—Anniek Bao
South Korea’s central bank on Thursday raised rates for a second straight time in its bid to cool rising prices, after core inflation reading hit the highest level last month since December 2023.
The Bank of Korea hiked rates by 25 basis points to 3%, its highest since January 2025 and in line with analysts’ expectations.
The hike comes as core inflation in Asia’s fourth largest economy climbed to 2.6% in July.
—Lim Hui Jie
Mainland China and Hong Kong shares were little changed on Thursday, with focus on China’s industrial profits data.
Profits climbed 17.6% from a year earlier, losing momentum following the 18.7% rate in the first half-year.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index fell 0.22%, while mainland China’s CSI 300 opened flat.
—Justina Lee
Shares of Japanese memory chipmaker Kioxia rose 4% on Thursday.
The move came after Nikkei reported that the company plans to invest more than 1 trillion yen ($6.27 billion) to build a new production facility in northern Japan.
Citi said the reported plan was not a surprise, adding that Kioxia had indicated at its June investor day that a new facility would be needed by the second half of 2029.
The bank said it would view the news as “somewhat positive” if confirmed, as it could signal strong demand through 2028, with some demand extending beyond 2029.
—Jenny Lee
Asia-Pacific markets traded broadly higher early Thursday.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.49% while the Topix rose 0.15%. The Kospi rose 2.48% at open, while the small-cap Kosdaq gained 1.06%.
Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 was marginally lower.
—Justina Lee
In an interview with CNBC’s Mad Money, Huang gave some more details on the company’s agreement with AWS.
He said in addition to the 2 million GPUs that Amazon plans to buy, the cloud company can purchase “millions of CPUs,” Huang said, referring to central processors. Nvidia is currently ramping up sales of its first ground-up CPU called Vera, competing with Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, the traditional CPU leaders.
Huang said Amazon will also use Nvidia’s technology for its robotics.
— Kif Leswing
Asia-Pacific markets were set to open mixed Thursday, with focus on China industrial profits data due later in the day and the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium for clues on the U.S. interest rate paths.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 was poised to rise, with the Chicago futures contract at 66,995 and its Osaka counterpart last trading at 66,120, compared with the index’s previous close of 66,262.16.
Hong Kong Hang Seng index futures were at 25,615, compared with the index’s last close of 25,652.97.
Futures for Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 last traded at 9,068, while the index closed at 9,127.80.
Developments in the Middle East remain in focus, as traders sift through conflicting reports. While President Donald Trump said that the U.S. Navy had removed and detonated explosives laid out by Iran, a Bloomberg report said that U.S. allies were privately warning that the Strait of Hormuz is still likely mined.
—Justina Lee
A Salesforce sign is displayed at their office on Feb. 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
Benjamin Fanjoy | Getty Images
Beyond Nvidia, here are some other stocks making notable moves after the bell:
Salesforce — The maker of customer relationship management software soared 12% postmarket after reporting second-quarter revenue of $11.35 billion versus a consensus estimate among analysts of $11.32 billion, according to LSEG data. Earnings more than doubled from a year ago on an adjusted basis to $5.90 per share due to an investment gain. Salesforce would add 160 points to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Thursday if the stock’s current gain holds.Okta – Shares surged 19% after the company’s second-quarter results exceeded analyst expectations. Okta reported adjusted earnings of $1.05 per share on revenue of $805 million for the quarter. That’s above the 97 cents in earnings per share and $795 million in revenue that analysts surveyed by LSEG had expected. The company also raised its earnings and revenue guidance for the full year.Agilent Technologies — The medical technology stock jumped 4% on a stronger-than-expected revenue report for its third quarter. Agilent said it brought in $1.88 billion in revenue, while analysts polled by FactSet forecast $1.84 billion, per FactSet.
— Alex Harring
Nvidia shares jumped more than 4% in extended trading Wednesday after the company beat analyst expectations and issued a strong revenue growth forecast.
The chipmaker could diverge against its recent pattern of seeing shares slide following earnings reports.
Nvidia shares fell more than 1% ahead of the report in Wednesday’s session. The stock has fallen in eight of its last nine trading days.
Follow live updates from the report here.
— Alex Harring
Stock futures jumped shortly after 6 p.m. ET Wednesday night.
Dow and S&P 500 futures climbed 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively. Nasdaq 100 futures popped 0.8%.
— Alex Harring