The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust 
SPY was up 0.5% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust 
QQQ advanced 0.7% in Wednesday’s premarket activity amid renewed optimism over President Trump’s tax-cut agenda and the upcoming Nvidia earnings report.
US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.5%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.2%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.7% before the start of regular trading.
US mortgage applications fell 1.2% in the week ended Feb. 21 as economic concerns outweighed lower rates, with refinancing down 4% and purchase applications flat, Mortgage Bankers Association data showed Wednesday.
The January new home sales report and weekly EIA petroleum status bulletin are due at 10 am ET, followed by the Atlanta Fed Survey of Business Uncertainty report for January at 11 am ET.
Federal Reserve Richmond President Thomas Barkin speaks at 8:30 am ET, and Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic at 12 pm ET.
In premarket activity, bitcoin was up by 0.3% and the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF 
BITO was 0.1% higher.
Power Play:
Technology
Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund 
XLK advanced 1.1%, and the iShares US Technology ETF 
IYW was 0.6% higher, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF IGM was inactive. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF XSD rose 2.8%, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF SOXX was up 1.2%.
ZoomInfo Technologies 
ZI shares were up more than 20% in recent Wednesday premarket activity after the company reported better-than-expected Q4 adjusted net income and revenue.
Winners and Losers:
Financial
Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund 
XLF advanced 0.3%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares 
FAS was up 0.8%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares FAZ was 0.9% lower.
Lemonade 
LMND shares were down more than 13% pre-bell Wednesday after the company late Tuesday posted downbeat guidance for Q1 and 2025 revenue.
Consumer
The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund 
XLP was down 0.2%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund 
VDC was flat. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF IYK advanced 0.1%, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund 
XLY gained 0.7%. The VanEck Retail ETF 
RTH was inactive, while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF XRT was 2% higher.
Anheuser-Busch InBev 
ABI shares were up more than 8% pre-bell after the company reported higher Q4 underlying earnings and revenue.
Health Care
The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund 
XLV advanced 0.03%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund VHT and the iShares US Healthcare ETF IYH were inactive. The iShares Biotechnology ETF IBB was flat.
Evotec 
EVT stock was down nearly 1% premarket after the company said that Chief Financial Officer Laetitia Rouxel will step down, effective Feb. 28.
Industrial
Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund 
XLI advanced 0.2% while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund VIS was inactive and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) was down 0.7%.
Sterling Infrastructure 
STRL stock was up more than 3% before the opening bell after the company reported late Tuesday higher Q4 adjusted earnings and revenue.
Energy
The iShares US Energy ETF IYE was inactive, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund 
XLE was up by 0.03%.
BKV BBKV stock was up 1.8% before Wednesday’s opening bell after the company said it swung to Q4 adjusted net income.
Commodities
Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil retreated 0.3% to $68.75 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas fell 1.2% to $4.13 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund 
USO declined by 0.5% while the United States Natural Gas Fund UNG was down 0.9%.
Gold futures for April advanced 0.3% at $2,926.90 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures gained 0.8% to reach $32.39 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares GLD were up 0.04%, and the iShares Silver Trust SLV was 0.3% higher.