S&P 500 futures tick higher after index snaps three-day slide: Live updates

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesS&P 500 futures ticked higher on Wednesday night after a winning session on Wall Street fueled by falling Treasury yields. S&P 500 futures were last up about 0.2%, and Nasdaq-100 futures advanced 0.4%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 46 points, or 0.09%. The S&P 500 snapped a three-session losing streak earlier in the day, as yields on longer-dated U.S. Treasurys pulled back from multi-year highs after the government unveiled a plan to ease pressure from a recent bond market rout. The Treasury Department said it will more than double repurchases of 10-, 20- and 30-year debt in the next few months. That comes after the 30-year Treasury bond yield spiked to its highest level in nearly 20 years earlier this week. Michael Schumacher, former head of macro at Wells Fargo, doesn't think bond market respite will last, however. "I'm still negative. I think long-term rates go up for a few reasons. In the U.S. case in particular, there's just a huge budget deficit. Not much sign that's going to improve. On top of that, you've got defense spending going up," he told CNBC in an interview. "I think that was the case really before the conflict in Iran, and that's intensified."Heading into Thursday's session, investors will turn their attention to weekly jobless claims. Economists polled by Dow Jones expect first-time claims for the week ended Aug. 15 totaled 210,000. Walmart is also set to post fiscal second-quarter results before the bell. — CNBC's Toby Burns contributed reporting.Bitcoin continues its climb in after-hours trading; crypto-related stocks riseThe flagship cryptocurrency continued its surge on Wednesday night.Bitcoin was last up about 7%, surpassing the $69,000 level.Stock Chart IconStock chart iconBitcoin in the past dayCryptocurrencies surged earlier in Wednesday's trading as investors assumed a risk-on posture after the Treasury Department announced its bond buyback program and Treasury yields retreated.In extended trading, crypto trading platform Coinbase was last up 3%, while Robinhood gained more than 2%.—Darla MercadoU.S. government debt tops $40 trillionGovernment debt has eclipsed $40 trillion, passing yet another staggering benchmark for red ink, according to the Treasury Department. The total U.S. IOU hit $40.05 trillion as of Tuesday, some four and a half years after topping $30 trillion. Years of escalating budget deficits, pushed higher by stimulus funding during the Covid pandemic, have seen the public share of the debt near 100%.Read the full story here.— Jeff CoxPrecision engineering stock Nordson surges in extended tradingNordson, which manufactures equipment used to apply coatings and adhesives, rose after lifting its full-year guidance.The stock traded up 8%.Stock Chart IconStock chart iconNordson in the past dayNordson sees adjusted earnings for the full year in a range of $11.80 to $12 a share, up from its earlier call for $11.30 to $11.80 per share. The outlook also surpassed the FactSet consensus call for $11.60 a share.The stock was the top gainer in the S&P 500 futures in after-hours trading.—Darla MercadoHere's where the major U.S. stock averages closed on WednesdayDow Jones Industrial Average: up 119.65 points, or 0.2%, at 53.463.05.S&P 500: up 0.2% at 7,707.98.Nasdaq Composite: up 0.2% at 26,331.09.— Fred ImbertS&P 500 futures open marginally higherU.S. stock futures opened slightly higher on Wednesday evening.S&P 500 futures rose 0.1%, while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.3%. Futures tied to the Dow Industrials added 25 points, or 0.04%.--Darla Mercado