U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Thursday, as investors weighed another surge in AI-related spending from the tech mega-caps and the Federal Reserve held rates steady as expected. .N

** Meta Platforms Inc META.O:BUZZ - Gains as Zuckerberg doubles down on AI vision nL4N3YU10D

** Microsoft Corp MSFT.O:BUZZ - Drops as costly AI push weighs on cloud outlook nL4N3YU0YX

** International Business Machines Corp IBM.N:BUZZ - Jumps as AI boosts software demand nL6N3YU0HV

** Tesla Inc TSLA.O:BUZZ - Rises on $2 bln xAI investment, Cybercab production plans nL4N3YU0ZI

** Lam Research Corp LRCX.O:BUZZ - Rises on strong Q3 outlook nL4N3YU14Q

** Sherwin-Williams Co SHW.N:BUZZ - EPS, revenue expected to tick higher nL6N3YT14W

** Honeywell International Inc HON.O:BUZZ - Q4 EPS seen up 2.8% vs Q4 2024 despite expected revenue dip nL6N3YT15C

** Caterpillar Inc CAT.N:BUZZ - Revenue seen climbing in Q4 nL6N3YT15L

** Critical Metals Corp CRML.O:

** United States Antimony Corp UAMY.N:

** USA Rare Earth Inc USAR.O:

** MP Materials Corp MP.N:

BUZZ - Rare earth miners fall; US drops price-floor plans, sources say nL4N3YU15C

** Viavi Solutions Inc VIAV.O:BUZZ - Gains after forecasting Q3 profit, revenue above estimates nL4N3YU155

** Joby Aviation Inc JOBY.N:BUZZ - Drops after boosted $1.2 bln stock, convertible bonds sales nL6N3YU0PY

** Venu Holding Corp VENU.N:BUZZ - Bounces after scrapping stock sale nL6N3YU0QY

** Rio Tinto PLC RIO.N:

** BHP Group Ltd BHP.N:

** Southern Copper Corp SCCO.N:

** Freeport-McMoRan Inc FCX.N:

BUZZ - Copper miners rise as red metal surges on weak dollar, geopolitical risks nL6N3YU0Q0

** Southwest Airlines Co LUV.N:BUZZ - Up after better-than-expected annual profit forecast nL6N3YU0R1

** Dow Inc DOW.N:BUZZ - Gains after announcing 4,500 job cuts nL4N3YU1ED

** Valero Energy Corp VLO.N:BUZZ - Gains on Q4 profit beat nL4N3YU1GV

(Compiled by Rajarshi Roy and Dharna Bafna)

((Rajarshi.Roy@thomsonreuters.com))