5 things to know before the stock market opens Thursday

Here are the most important news investors need to start their trading day:

The bulls are dodging through an inconclusive week. Retail selling was hotter than expected on Wednesday, which is, in theory, a concern that the Federal Reserve will keep raising rates until morale, er, inflation improves. But shares still ended the day up, albeit not by a huge margin. Investors will have more economic data to chew on Thursday: the January Producer Price Index report, which forecast wholesale inflation; weekly jobless claims; And the accommodation begins. follow live market updates,

ford Production and shipments of the fully electric F-150 Lightning pickup were then halted one of the vehicles caught fire That’s due to a battery issue earlier this month, the company said late Wednesday. Ford said it believes engineers have determined the cause of the fire, and expects to conclude its investigation by the end of next week. Then, Ford said, it will make adjustments to the battery production process, which “could take a few weeks.” The development comes at a difficult time for Ford, which is attempting to start its business After posting a net loss for 2022, all while transitioning to EVs.

computer networking company ciscoThe stock made a decent jump in off-hours trade strong earnings report, The company beat the top and bottom, raising its forecast for the year. Cisco also said it has reduced some of its logistics costs. According to Cisco, demand is also holding steady, even as other tech companies are grappling with declining computer demand and pressure from a slowing advertising market. But the company also reported some difficulties. For example, according to CFO Scott Herren, its hardware and software backlog is still much higher than normal, and that’s due to limited supply availability.

Accused FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried secures his release on bond help of two academics at Stanford University. One of them, Stanford Law School Dean Emeritus Larry Kramer, said he is close to SBF’s mother and father, who are professors at the law school. “Joe Bankman and Barbara Fried have been close friends of mine and my wife since the mid-1990s,” Kramer told CNBC. Andreas Paepke, A research scientist The school had another guarantor whose name was under seal until a federal judge decides otherwise following a motion by several media outlets, including CNBC. Paepcke did not respond to a request for comment. SBF, which has been charged with widespread fraud and conspiracy, was released on $250 million bond in December. His parents also signed as guarantors.

Howard Schultz will soon step down starbucks The CEO – for the third time – but Sen. Bernie Sanders wants to drag him before lawmakers anyway after the executive turned down an invitation to testify next month. While Sanders didn’t directly say he would try to do so summons to Schultz, he hinted that it might be in the works. “One way or another he will be there,” the senator told reporters on Wednesday. Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who supports unions, chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The panel has set a hearing on Starbucks’ labor practices for March 9. Schultz, who is also a large shareholder in the coffee giant, is leading Starbucks’ efforts to counter a unionization push among its baristas, despite the company’s progressive initiatives.

— CNBC’s Sarah Min, Michael Wieland, Jordan Novett, Rohan Goswami and Amelia Lucas contributed to this report.

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