US stocks (^DJI, ^IXIC, ^GSPC) are seeking further gains in Thursday trading on the back of expected Big Tech earnings that continue to roll out and the Federal Reserve's decision to hold interest rates. Seana Smith and Brad Smith lead investors into the market open, covering a wide array of stories and corporate earnings results.

The Morning Brief welcomes former St. Louis Fed President Jim Bullard onto the program to talk about his views on the Fed's path forward to cut interest rates come the September FOMC meeting, noting the US labor market is on track to normalize rather than deteriorate.

Yahoo Finance senior health reporter Anjalee Khemlani joins the show to break down Moderna's (MRNA) second quarter results and CEO Stéphane Bancel's comments on the European and US pharmaceutical markets.

Other top trending tickers on the Yahoo Finance platform include Carvana (CVNA), Crocs (CROX), Arm Holdings (ARM), and the Hershey Company (HSY).

This post was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.