Alphabet posted its second-quarter earnings after Wednesday's closing bell, beating on the headline numbers and giving a higher forecast for this year's capital expenditures. But some analysts say the debate over the future of Google's search empire is still unsettled.

Asian shares are lower after Wall Street inched to more records as gains for Alphabet and artificial-intelligence stocks offset a steep tumble for EV-maker Tesla

U.S. stock index futures were mixed on Thursday as investors assessed earnings from Alphabet and Tesla while focusing on progress in trade deals between the U.S. and its top partners.