U.S. stock futures edged higher on Friday morning, signaling continued momentum on Wall Street as investors look to extend a three-day winning streak. The gains come as market participants cheer strong earnings from Alphabet, even as they digest mixed signals from other tech giants and ongoing geopolitical trade concerns.
Futures tied to the S&P 500 rose 0.3%, while Nasdaq-100 futures also climbed. Meanwhile, futures connected to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were little changed, hovering near the flatline.
Alphabet shares jumped about 5% in pre-market trading after the Google parent reported better-than-expected results for the first quarter, beating estimates on both revenue and profit. The tech giant is one of the so-called “Magnificent Seven” stocks, and its performance has provided a welcome boost to broader market sentiment.
In contrast, Intel stock dropped more than 5% following the chipmaker’s weak forward guidance and news that it plans to cut both operational and capital expenditures, disappointing investors.
The rally comes after all three major U.S. indexes closed in positive territory on Thursday. The S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq Composite are now riding a three-day winning streak, powered largely by a rebound in large-cap tech stocks, which had faced downward pressure earlier this month amid rising global trade tensions.
Markets remain volatile as investors continue to navigate uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policy. Although President Trump’s recent “reciprocal” tariffs announcement rattled markets earlier in April, signs of a potential softening in stance toward China have offered some relief. On Tuesday, Trump hinted that the U.S. may significantly reduce its 145% tariff rate on Chinese imports, though he ruled out eliminating it entirely.
China’s Ministry of Commerce responded Thursday by confirming that there are currently no active trade negotiations and called for the removal of unilateral tariffs.
“I think that really all the market needed was just a little spark to kind of move it off some of these depressed levels,” said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise. “I think we’re still in for a period of choppiness around stock trading, and I think heading into next week, it’s really going to be the big tech earnings that are going to really influence where the major averages go.”
As of Thursday’s close, the S&P 500 is on track for a weekly gain of nearly 4%. The Dow has added more than 2%, and the Nasdaq Composite has jumped over 5% so far this week.
Investors are also eyeing upcoming earnings reports from AutoNation, Colgate-Palmolive, and AbbVie, all expected before the opening bell on Friday. In addition, the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index for April is set to be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. Economists expect the reading to hold steady at 50.8.
