ASX 200 futures edge up 0.1% to 8,854 as the Nasdaq gains 1.05% and Meta rises 4% after hours

Sentiment: mixed ASX 200 futures: +0.1%

ASX 200 futures rose 5 points, or 0.1%, to 8,854 by 7:15am AEDT on 22 October 2026 (ABC), after the Nasdaq gained 1.05% to 26,702.86 as SpaceX's AI revenue lifted US chip and server stocks. META.US rose 3.99% after hours to US$725.32 after third-quarter revenue of US$64.6 billion beat the US$63.37 billion estimate and it raised the low end of its 2026 capex range (ABC). Brent rose 0.86% to US$109.73 after a drone attack on a Saudi oil field, and BHP.US implies A$57.49 for BHP.AU, 1.8% below its Wednesday close.

Overnight drivers

• US chips +1.89%: SMH.US closed at US$556.70 on 21 October 2026 as NVDA.US rose 2.54%, AMD.US 3.36% and SMCI.US 9.55% after Super Micro raised its outlook. SPCX.US gained 7.79% after SpaceX reported US$7.6 billion of AI revenue within US$14.6 billion in total (Yahoo Finance). The ASX information technology index fell 3.32% on Wednesday; XRO.AU closed at $64.42 and WTC.AU at $39.77.
• META.US +3.99% after hours: the 2026 capex range moved to US$135 billion to US$145 billion from US$130 billion to US$145 billion (ABC). NXT.AU closed at $5.35 after its 41.72% fall and a pause on new developments, and GMG.AU fell 2.23% to $25.92 on Wednesday. LRCX.US fell 4.60% after hours despite revenue of US$8.22 billion, above the US$8.13 billion estimate.
• Brent +0.86% to US$109.73: debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed two people at Saudi Arabia's Shaybah oil field, with no impact on operations (Saudi energy ministry via Middle East Eye), and the US ordered non-emergency government staff to leave Saudi Arabia. WDS.AU closed at $33.96 and STO.AU at $9.31; the ASX energy index rose 0.49% on Wednesday.
• US 10-year yield +3 bps to 5.15%: XLF.US gained 0.57%, and AUD/USD rose 0.34% to 0.7029. CBA.AU closed at $157.01 and NAB.AU at $39.93 after the banks index gained 1.09% on Wednesday.

Overnight Wall Street

• S&P 500: 7,757.17 (+0.58%)
• Nasdaq: 26,702.86 (+1.05%)
• Dow: 52,856.09 (+0.69%)
• VIX: 16.68 (-3.64%)

256 S&P 500 stocks rose and 229 fell (investingLive). CRWD.US rose 5.26% as cybersecurity names gained on the disclosure of a critical PHP flaw (Yahoo Finance). NFLX.US fell 5.31% to US$65.04 after a fourth-quarter revenue forecast below estimates, and T.US lost 6.45% on concerns about Starlink mobile plans (Yahoo Finance).

TSLA.US closed 3.41% higher at US$386.47 and was flat after hours, up 0.08%, on third-quarter revenue of US$28.05 billion and adjusted earnings of US$0.48 a share against a US$0.45 estimate. IBM.US gained 1.60% after hours on revenue of US$17.1 billion against US$16.82 billion expected (Investing.com).

Commodities and FX (AU-relevant)

• Gold: US$4,159.50/oz (+0.41%, December contract)
• Brent: US$109.73 (+0.86%, December contract)
• Iron ore 62%: US$91.00/t (-0.2%, ABC)
• AUD/USD: 0.7029 (+0.34%)

BHP.US fell 1.28% to US$80.82, equal to about A$57.49 a share, 1.8% below BHP.AU's $58.54 close; RIO.US lost 1.41%. December copper fell 0.41% to US$6.5765/lb and December WTI 0.11% to US$97.71. Gold at US$4,159.50 converts to about A$5,917/oz at 0.7029; NST.AU closed at $25.06 and EVN.AU at $12.13. FMG.AU, unchanged at $15.26 on Wednesday, reports its September quarter today; its 8 October update showed shipments of 46.8 Mt, 6% lower than a year earlier, and a hematite price of US$80 a tonne (Motley Fool).

Key themes for the ASX open

• Data centres: META.US raised the floor of its capex range while NXT.AU holds new developments after cutting FY27 EBITDA guidance; GMG.AU closed at $25.92.
• Energy: WDS.AU and STO.AU open with Brent at US$109.73, up 0.86%, and WDS.US flat at US$23.62.
• Health care: FPH.AU disclosed unauthorised access to a subset of company files and two employee email accounts (Reuters); it closed at $39.86. CSL.AU named Deborah Waterhouse chief executive from 1 February 2027 after Wednesday's close, with shares at $196.08.
• Property and credit: Domain's combined capital city house price fell 4.7% to $1,226,566 in the September quarter, its steepest quarterly drop on record, with Perth down 7.4% (ABC). MAF.AU is suspending its MA Secured Loan Series real estate credit fund (ABC); its shares rose 3.00% to $4.80 on Wednesday.
• Miners: BHP.US implies a 1.8% lower BHP.AU price, with iron ore at US$91.00/t and Fortescue's quarterly due before the open.

Economic calendar today

• Before the open: Fortescue September-quarter production report
• 23:30 AEDT: US weekly initial jobless claims (Investing.com)
• 3 November: RBA rate decision and updated forecasts

What to watch

• 8,854 on futures sits 12 points above Wednesday's ASX 200 session high of 8,841.9; Market Index and the Motley Fool pointed to a flat open.
• 41% was the market-implied chance of a November RBA rise after deputy governor Andrew Hauser's Wednesday speech (Market Index), with the US 10-year at 5.15%.

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