On Friday, investors may pay close attention to geopolitical developments. Early indicators from the U.S. Futures Index suggest a potential drop in Wall Street at opening. While Asian markets had a mixed finish, European shares appear to be predominantly rising.
As of 7:25 AM ET, Dow futures dropped 15.00 points, with S&P 500 futures also experiencing a decrease of 3.25 points. Additionally, Nasdaq 100 futures slid by 57.25 points. At the last session's end, the Dow nearly reached its peak, seeing an increase of 242.74 points (0.6%) to settle at 38,049.13. The S&P 500 also rose by 25.61 points (0.5%) to 4,894.16, while the tech-dominated Nasdaq added only 28.58 points (0.2%), closing at 15,510.50.
Regarding economic reports, the Personal Income and Outlays for December will be released at 8:30 AM ET. Experts anticipate a rise of 0.3%, compared to a 0.4% augment in the previous month.
Also, the Pending Home Sales Index for December is expected at 10:00 AM ET. Estimates suggest a 1.3% increase, following a stagnant rate of 0.0% back in November.
The Baker Hughes Rig Count, slated for 1:00 PM ET, follows a previous weekly tally of 843 in North America, with 620 in the U.S. and 223 in Canada.
Asian markets had a mixed performance on Friday. China's Shanghai Composite Index saw a slight increase of 0.14%, closing at 2,910.22. Conversely, the Japanese benchmark Nikkei 225 dropped significantly by 485 points or 1.34% to finish at 35,751.07.
European shares are generally on the rise. Significant gains are observed across different indexes: France's CAC 40 Index increased by 175.49 points (0.2.35%), Germany's DAX rose by 49.88 points (0.30%), and the U.K.'s FTSE 100 Index improved by 257.51 points (0.85%).
The Swiss Market Index surged by 176.51 points or 1.58%, while the Euro Stoxx 50 also experienced a 1.15% boost.
