08:04 AM EDT, 08/09/2024 (MT Newswires) -- The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust ( SPY ) was up 0.2% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.4% higher in Friday's premarket activity, buoyed by an encouraging jobless claims report the previous day.

US stock futures also edged higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.2%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing by 0.03%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.3% before the start of regular trading.

The Baker Hughes domestic oil-and-gas rig count will be released at 1 pm ET.

In premarket action, bitcoin was up by 2.1% and the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF ( BITO ) was 1.9% higher.

Power Play:

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLK ) advanced 0.3%, and the iShares US Technology ETF ( IYW ) was 0.4% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF ( IGM ) was up 0.7%. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF ( XSD ) gained marginally by 0.02%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF ( SOXX ) rose by 0.5%.

Iteris ( ITI ) stock was up more than 63% in recent Friday premarket activity after the company said that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by Almaviva, a private Italian digital innovation group, in an all-cash transaction valuing the smart mobility infrastructure management firm at about $335 million.

Winners and Losers:

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLI ) , the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund ( VIS ) , and the iShares US Industrials ETF ( IYJ ) were inactive.

Pitney Bowes ( PBI ) shares gained more than 26% before the opening bell after the company swung to Q2 earnings and posted higher Q2 revenue.

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLV ) advanced 0.2%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund ( VHT ) was flat while the iShares US Healthcare ETF ( IYH ) was inactive. The iShares Biotechnology ETF ( IBB ) was also inactive.

Iovance Biotherapeutics ( IOVA ) shares were up more than 24% premarket after the company posted a narrower-than-expected Q2 loss late Thursday and higher revenue.

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLP ) was up 0.03%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was inactive. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF ( IYK ) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLY ) gained 0.5%. The VanEck Retail ETF ( RTH ) was inactive, while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF ( XRT ) was 0.6% higher.

E.l.f. Beauty (ELF) shares traded down 9% pre-bell after the company posted flat fiscal Q1 adjusted earnings and soft 2025 guidance.

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLF ) gained 0.1%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares ( FAS ) was up 0.3%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares ( FAZ ) was 0.2% lower.

Goldman Sachs BDC ( GSBD ) stock was down 2% pre-bell Friday after the company reported lower Q2 revenue that trailed analysts' estimates.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF ( IYE ) was inactive, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund ( XLE ) was up by 0.3%.

Noble (NE) shares were up 1.1% before Friday's opening bell after the company said late Thursday that its subsidiary Noble Finance II has priced an additional $800 million offering of its 8% senior notes due 2030, up from the initial $675 million planned.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil advanced by 0.5% to $76.57 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was up nearly 1% at $2.15 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund ( USO ) rose by 0.8%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund ( UNG ) was 0.2% higher.

Gold futures for December gained 0.3% to $2,470.90 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures were up 0.2% at $27.65 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares ( GLD ) advanced 0.3%, and iShares Silver Trust ( SLV ) 0.4% higher.