NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) shares were choppy after the AI juggernaut published second quarter results and guidance, and announced a $50 billion buyback plan. Management said anticipation for Blackwell was "incredible." The stock was down 4%.

Oil prices held mostly steady on Thursday as a smaller-than-expected draw in U.S. crude inventories and continued worries over China demand countered supply disruptions out of Libya.

The U.S. dollar gained on Wednesday due to month-end buying and technical factors after recent declines that pushed it to its weakest in more than a year, as traders awaited data that could dictate the pace of the Federal Reserve's imminent easing cycle.

U.S. stock index futures were flat-to-slightly higher on Wednesday, as investors held back ahead of a crucial quarterly earnings report from AI-favorite Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) to gauge if the market can withstand further risk-taking in a bull rally.

Gold prices slipped on Wednesday as the dollar ticked up, while investors awaited a key U.S. inflation report due this week for more clarity on the size of a likely September rate cut.

The dollar held near its lowest in more than a year against a basket of peers on Wednesday, with sterling trading just off multi-year highs, as markets focussed on clues to the size of a widely expected U.S. interest rate cut next month.