Trading in Wall Street futures was disrupted on Thursday evening after a data center issue caused an outage at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).
As of 21:44 ET (02:44 GMT), the S&P 500 Futures were last indicated up 0.1% at 6,835.0 points.
Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 0.2% to 25,347.75 points, while Dow Jones Futures gained 0.1% to 47,542.0 points.
CME Group said the outage stemmed from a technical problem at CyrusOne data centers, and noted that teams were working to restore full service.
The issue disrupted trading across a range of commodity futures and derivatives, adding to already thin volumes following the Thanksgiving holiday.
Wall Street Gains on Rate-Cut Hopes and Fed Chair Speculation
Wall Street staged a strong rebound this week, supported by renewed expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates next month.
Technology stocks led much of the move higher, though performance within the sector was uneven.
NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) lagged after reports that Alphabet’s Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) plans to build its own artificial intelligence chips, potentially increasing competition in the sector.
Even so, ongoing optimism surrounding AI kept broader market sentiment upbeat.
Expectations for a December rate cut strengthened after dovish comments from several Fed officials and softer economic data. Markets now assign an 82.8% probability to a 25-basis-point cut at the Fed’s December 9–10 meeting, up sharply from 32% the week before, according to CME FedWatch.
Speculation also intensified around a potential successor to Fed Chair Jerome Powell. A report suggested that Kevin Hassett, head of the White House National Economic Council, is the leading candidate. Investors expect Hassett to support President Donald Trump’s push for lower interest rates.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 rose 0.7% to 6,812.61 points.
The NASDAQ Composite gained 0.8% to 23,214.69 points, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.7% to 47,427.12 points.
Markets were closed Thursday and will operate on a shortened schedule Friday.
Wall Street Still Set for Monthly Losses
This week’s bounce helped offset some recent declines, but major indexes remain on track for losses in November.
Both the S&P 500 and Dow are down around 0.4% for the month, while the Nasdaq is lower by 2.2% following a steep selloff in chipmakers.
Concerns over stretched tech valuations, complex financing structures within the AI sector, and broader economic uncertainty weighed heavily on markets throughout the month. Earlier expectations for no Fed cut in December also dragged sentiment, although those expectations reversed sharply this week.
Key Data Ahead: PCE and PMI Reports
Investors will turn their focus next week to a series of important economic indicators. These will be among the limited data points available to the Fed before its December meeting.
The PCE price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, is due on December 5. The release covers September data, which had been delayed due to a government shutdown.
Officials said no inflation or labor data for October will be published, leaving the Fed with limited guidance heading into its next policy decision.
Before the PCE release, final Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) readings for November are also scheduled for next week.
