U.S. stock futures rose on Friday, as the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and the Dow Jones indices advanced, following Thursday’s higher close.
Investors are eyeing SpaceX‘s debut under the ticker SPCX at $135 per share, with options trading set to begin on Monday. The first few minutes are expected to be chaotic as market makers establish price discovery.
Amid pushback against President Donald Trump‘s assertions regarding an approved peace agreement, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf cautioned that "wrong strategies and impulsive decisions" could ignite a more expansive crisis. He warned that such actions risk devastating energy infrastructure, roiling global markets, and creating an "endless quagmire" that would last for years.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.44%, and the two-year bond was at 4.05%. The CME Group's FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 96.4% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged during June’s meeting.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | 0.55% |
| S&P 500 | 0.30% |
| Nasdaq 100 | 0.12% |
| Russell 2000 | 0.50% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were higher in premarket on Friday. The SPY was up 0.36% at $740.39, while the QQQ advanced by 0.20% to $718.52.
Industrials, materials, and information technology stocks recorded the biggest gains on Thursday, while consumer staples and energy stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session lower.
| Index | Performance (+/-) | Value |
| Dow Jones | 1.86% | 50.848,75 |
| S&P 500 | 1.75% | 7.394,30 |
| Nasdaq Composite | 2.54% | 25.809,66 |
| Russell 2000 | 3.02% | 2.921,03 |
Douglas Beath, Global Equity Strategist at Wells Fargo, maintains a “constructive outlook for equities.” This positive view is backed by robust corporate momentum, with S&P 500 Index first-quarter earnings tracking growth of nearly 25%—well above initial consensus forecasts.
While technology remains the primary driver, Beath highlights that “the rally has broadened,” signaling that market moves are firmly supported by improved corporate fundamentals rather than mere sentiment.
Despite this strength, Beath advises investors to prepare for turbulence, reiterating that “volatility is likely to remain a feature of the market action.”
He projects that future market fluctuations will be driven by Federal Reserve policy uncertainty, AI capital spending, and geopolitical risks, such as the U.S.-Iran conflict.
Looking forward, Wells Fargo maintains a year-end S&P 500 Index target of 7400–7600. Economically, while confidence is building that “Al can support future economic growth,” Beath views pullbacks not as a reason to panic, but rather as “buying opportunities”.
He recommends rebalancing into attractive ancillary sectors like Financials, Industrials, and Utilities.
Here's what investors will be keeping an eye on Friday.
Crude oil futures were trading lower in the early New York session by 4.64% to hover around $83.63 per barrel.
Gold Spot US Dollar rose 0.27% to hover around $4,222.10 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $5,595.46 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.14% lower at the 99.7230 level.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 0.88% higher at $63,390.66 per coin, as per the last 24 hours.
Asian markets closed higher on Friday, as Australia's ASX 200, India’s Nifty 50, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, Japan's Nikkei 225, South Korea's Kospi, and China’s CSI 300 indices advanced. European markets were also higher in early trade.
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