FX.co ★ US Futures Steady After Hitting New Highs

U.S. stock futures remained largely unchanged on Friday, following a session where Wall Street reached new heights, driven by AI excitement, particularly surrounding OpenAI. On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 saw modest increases of 0.06% and 0.17%, respectively, while the Nasdaq Composite rose by 0.39%. The technology sector was the primary beneficiary, bolstered by the AI surge, with notable gains from Nvidia, up 0.9%, AMD, soaring 3.5%, and Intel, increasing by 3.8%. Investor enthusiasm was further heightened by OpenAI's substantial $6.6 billion share sale, which set the company's valuation at $500 billion, and news of a significant partnership with South Korean chipmakers. Meanwhile, attention also turned to political developments in Washington, DC, as President Trump issued a threat of widespread federal job cuts to apply pressure on Democrats amid the ongoing government shutdown, which reached its second day. The shutdown has resulted in a halt of data flow, compelling the Labor Department to postpone the release of September's nonfarm payroll figures originally scheduled for Friday.