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A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026.
Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
U.S. equity futures edged lower early Friday after major indexes declined and Nvidia shares fell, following the exit of its founder and CEO Jensen Huang amid an ongoing scandal.
Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were marginally down, while S&P 500 futures were down 0.12%. Nasdaq-100 futures fell 0.38%.
The action comes after the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 dropped about 0.4% each in regular trading. The Dow slid almost 190 points, or 0.4%. Nvidia’s 4.3% decline dragged down the three major averages, even as the chip stock ended the session off its lows.
Asia-Pacific markets were mostly lower, with South Korea’s Kospi down 0.85% and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index down 1.4%. Mainland China’s CSI 300 declined 0.66%. Japan’s Nikkei 225 bucked the trend to rise 0.53%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.62%.
On Thursday, Huang stepped down from his post at the chip company following reported extramarital affairs, including a relationship with a woman U.S. intelligence officials believe is a Chinese spy. Analysts told CNBC that Huang’s exit could trigger a 20% correction in the stock.
Nvidia’s chief financial officer Colette Kress, who’s worked at the company for more than a decade, will lead the chipmaker as interim CEO. The company’s board is looking both internally and externally for a full-time replacement for Huang.
A jump in oil prices also kept stocks under pressure Thursday, with Brent crude rising more than 3% on the day to settle at $95.82 a barrel. Oil climbed after President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post, “We don’t need a deal with Iran.” The comment raised concerns that the U.S.-Iran war could drag on further.
Another market catalyst awaits on Friday in the form of October’s producer price index reading, a measure of wholesale inflation. Economists polled by Dow Jones see headline PPI rising 0.4% on the month and 6.6% from 12 months earlier.
Even with the latest bout of market turbulence, the major averages are heading for weekly advances. The Nasdaq is up 3.2%, while the S&P 500 is on pace for a 2.9% advance. The Dow is poised for a nearly 2% jump. All three indexes are heading for their best weekly performances since early August.
