On a relatively uneventful day for economic announcements, the spotlight on Friday may turn to the leading economic indicators for April.
Early indications from the U.S. Futures Index suggest a marginally positive opening on Wall Street.
In the Asian session, gold and oil registered modest gains.
As of 8:00 AM ET, Dow futures were up 5 points, S&P 500 futures had gained 1.50 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures had improved by 18.75 points.
U.S. major averages closed lower on Thursday. Although the Dow surpassed 40,000 in morning trading, it ended the day down by 38.62 points or 0.1% at 39,869.38. The S&P 500 declined by 11.05 points or 0.2% to 5,297.10, and the Nasdaq dropped 44.07 points or 0.3% to 16,698.32.
On the economic front, E-Commerce retail sales for the first quarter are slated for release at 10:00 AM ET. In the previous quarter, retail sales had risen by 0.8%.
Additionally, the Leading Indicators for April will be published at 10:00 AM ET. Analysts predict a decrease of 0.3%, matching the decline seen in February.
The Baker Hughes Rig Count for the week will be announced at 1:00 PM ET. Last week, the North America rig count was 719, with the U.S. rig count at 603.
Fed Governor Christopher Waller is set to speak on payments innovation, technical standards, and the Fed's roles at the International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee 68 Financial Services 44th Plenary Meeting at 10:15 AM ET.
At 12:15 PM ET, San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly will deliver a commencement address at the University of San Francisco School of Management.
Asian markets closed mixed on Friday, with notable rallies in Chinese markets.
China's Shanghai Composite Index surged by 1.01% to 3,154.03, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed by 0.91% to 19,553.61.
Japanese markets finished lower, with the Nikkei average dipping by 0.34% to 38,787.38, while the broader Topix index rose by 0.30% to 2,745.62.
Australian stocks experienced significant declines. The benchmark S&P ASX 200 fell by 0.85% to 7,814.40, and the broader All Ordinaries Index dropped by 0.83% to 8,082.30.
