Stocks Muted Before the Open With Earnings in Focus

Group 1: Market Overview - Wall Street's three main equity benchmarks closed lower, with Netflix dropping over -10% after reporting weaker-than-expected Q3 EPS, and Texas Instruments sliding more than -5% due to underwhelming Q4 guidance [2] - Higher bond yields are impacting stock index futures, with Treasury yields climbing as oil prices surged over +5% following U.S. sanctions on Russian oil companies [3][10] - The Euro Stoxx 50 Index rose +0.18% as investors reacted positively to corporate earnings reports, particularly in the energy sector due to rising oil prices [10] Group 2: Corporate Earnings - Companies in the S&P 500 are expected to post an average +7.2% increase in Q3 earnings compared to the previous year, marking the smallest rise in two years [6] - Tesla reported weaker-than-expected Q3 adjusted EPS despite a sales surge, leading to a pre-market drop of over -3% [4][14] - Medpace Holdings surged over +18% in pre-market trading after posting upbeat Q3 results and raising its full-year guidance [4][15] Group 3: Economic Indicators - The U.S. government shutdown has delayed the publication of weekly jobless claims, with investors focusing on existing home sales data expected to show 4.06 million in September [7] - Fed rate futures indicate a 96.7% probability of a 25 basis point rate cut at the upcoming monetary policy meeting [8] - France's manufacturing business climate index climbed to a 1-1/2-year high in October, surpassing its long-term average for the first time since early March 2024 [10][11] Group 4: International Developments - China's Shanghai Composite Index closed higher on hopes for fresh stimulus measures and de-escalation in U.S.-China trade tensions, with financial stocks leading gains [12] - Japan's Nikkei 225 Index closed lower as investors took profits following a recent rally, with technology stocks leading the declines [13]