While Dow Jones futures gained 0.67% at the time of writing, the S&P 500 futures rose 0.15%.
U.S. stocks appear set for a positive opening on Friday as investors look to build on a week of gains, following softer-than-expected retail inflation in July.
The United States Census Bureau is set to release retail sales data for July on Friday, and Wall Street expects a 0.5% increase during the month over June, according to a Dow Jones estimate cited by MarketWatch.
While Dow Jones futures gained 0.67% at the time of writing, the S&P 500 futures rose 0.15%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100’s futures fell 0.08%. Futures of the Russell 2000 index were up 0.31%.
Meanwhile, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) gained 0.21% at the time of writing, while Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was flat on Friday morning. Retail sentiment around the S&P 500 ETF on Stocktwits was in the ‘bullish’ territory.
Asian markets ended Friday’s trading session on a mixed note, with the Nikkei 225 leading with a gain of 1.68%, followed by the Shanghai Composite at 0.82%, and the TWSE Capitalization Weighted Stock index at 0.4%.
The Hang Seng declined 1.26%, while the KOSPI was closed for trading on account of Liberation Day.
Stocks To Watch
- Intel Corp. (INTC): Intel shares gained nearly 2% in Friday’s pre-market session amid reports that the Trump administration could pick up a stake in the chipmaker.
- UnitedHealth Group Corp. (UNH), Apple Inc. (AAPL), Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK): Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway pared its stake in Apple during the second quarter (Q2), while loading up on UnitedHealth.
- Applied Materials Inc. (AMAT): Applied Materials shares plunged nearly 14% in Friday’s premarket after the company’s earnings and revenue forecast for the current quarter came in lower than Wall Street expectations, according to LSEG estimates cited by Yahoo Finance.
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