S&P 500 futures slipped early Thursday after the broad market index strung together a third consecutive advance in reaction to the Trump administration and China hammering out a temporary suspension of their tit-for-tat tariff dispute.

Futures tied to the were down 0.27%, while dropped 0.22% fell 185 points, or 0.44%.

In after-hours trading, shares of surged more than 60% after  reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that  is closing in on a deal to buy the company for roughly $2.3 billion. slid 8% after the Journal , citing people familiar, that the Justice Department is . A UnitedHealth spokesman later told C온라인카지노사이트 that the insurer has not been notified by the DOJ of the "supposed" investigation reported.

Confidence in the immediate outlook for stocks has strengthened in the wake of last weekend's talks between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese officials that appeared to stave off a short-term decline in economic activity and a ratcheting up in inflation. The enthusiasm mostly continued Wednesday, with the advancing 0.1% and the rising 0.7%. It was also the sixth straight winning day for the tech-heavy index. The 30-stock slipped 0.2%.

Tech giants are putting up a strong showing week to date: and are both up more than 16%, and has added 11.3% in the period. and are both up more than 8% each. The Nasdaq Composite is higher by 6.8% this week, trailed by the S&P 500, ahead 4.11%, and the Dow, up 1.9%.

Sentiment was bolstered Tuesday by the latest reading on consumer inflation showing prices rising at a slower pace than Wall Street economists had expected. Inflation increased by 0.2% in April excluding food and energy, below the consensus estimate of 0.3%.

Traders will look for further signs of a steady economy on Thursday, when the producer price index, retail sales and industrial production numbers for April are released before the stock market opens. Weekly jobless claims are also slated for release.

Also due out: earnings for the fiscal first-quarter from the nation's largest retailer.

UnitedHealth Group tumbles after WSJ reports the insurer is facing a probe from the Justice Department

Shares of slid Wednesday night after , citing people familiar, that the Justice Department is investigating the insurer.

The people told the Journal that the probe centers on UnitedHealth's Medicare Advantage business practices.

"We have not been notified by the Department of Justice of the supposed criminal investigation reported," a UnitedHealth spokesman later told C온라인카지노사이트. "We stand by the integrity of our Medicare Advantage program."

Shares of UnitedHealth were last down 8%, dragging down Dow futures.

–Darla Mercado, Bertha Coombs

Wholesale inflation reading due on Thursday

Traders are looking ahead to the producer price index, a measure of wholesale prices, due on Thursday morning.

Economists polled by Dow Jones anticipate the April's producer price index grew by 0.3% from the prior month. They also estimate that the core reading, which excludes food and energy prices, rose 0.3% in the period.

April's consumer price index helped lift investors' sentiment this week. Headline CPI climbed 0.2% for the month, bringing the 12-month inflation rate to 2.3%. The monthly result was in line with Dow Jones consensus estimates, while the 12-month reading came in slightly below the forecast for 2.4%.

–Darla Mercado

Stocks making the biggest moves in extended trading

Several stocks made major moves in after-hours action on Wednesday evening.

 – Shares of the sports apparel retailer soared 67%.  reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that  is closing in on a deal to buy the company for roughly $2.3 billion or about $24 per share. Shares of Dick's Sporting Goods slid about 6%.

 – Shares of the networking tech company jumped 2% after fiscal  topped estimates. Cisco posted adjusted earnings of 96 cents per share on revenue of $14.15 billion, while analysts polled by LSEG sought 92 cents per share on revenue of $14.08 billion. Cisco's finance chief Scott Herren will also retire in July.

 – The artificial intelligence infrastructure company saw shares fall about 6%. CoreWeave posted a loss of $1.49 per share, but beat the Street's estimates on . Revenue surged 420% in the quarter on a year-over-year basis. It's CoreWeave's first quarterly report since it debuted on the public markets.

Read more about after-hours movers here.

–Darla Mercado

Stock futures open little changed on Wednesday evening

Futures traded near the flatline Wednesday night.

S&P 500 futures slipped 0.1%, as did Nasdaq 100 futures. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures lost 38 points, or roughly 0.1%.

—Darla Mercado