U.S. stock futures trended higher early Friday after the S&P 500 (SPX) touched another record high for the third consecutive day. Futures on the Nasdaq 100 (NDX), the S&P 500, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) were up 0.06%, 0.23%, and 0.78%, respectively, at 4:30 a.m. EST on August 15.
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On Thursday, the S&P 500 managed to end the session with a small gain, notching a record high. However, the Dow and Nasdaq Composite closed marginally lower, as the producer price index jumped 0.9% in July, much higher than expectations.
Coming to major news on U.S. stocks, UnitedHealth (UNH) stock soared over 10% in Thursday’s extended trading on news that Warren Buffett‘s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) and Michael Burry‘s Scion Asset Management have built stakes in the insurance giant despite the ongoing challenges. Also, Intel (INTC) stock jumped over 4% in Thursday’s after-market hours following a Bloomberg report that the Trump administration is considering having a government stake in the chipmaker.
Major economic releases for Friday include reports on import prices, Michigan consumer sentiment, and retail sales. These reports will provide further clues about the U.S. economy’s direction.
Meanwhile, the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was up, floating near 4.285% as of writing. WTI crude oil futures were trending lower, hovering near $63.49 per barrel as of the last check. Additionally, the Gold Spot U.S. dollar price increased to $3,340 per ounce.
Elsewhere, European stocks opened mostly higher as traders speculate on the outcome of the Trump-Putin meeting to be held today.
Major Asia-Pacific Markets Traded Higher Today
Major Asia-Pacific markets traded higher today. Notably, Japan’s Nikkei and Topix closed up by 1.71% and 1.63%, respectively, after the country’s second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.3%, exceeding expectations despite tariff headwinds.
In China, the Shanghai Composite index rose 0.83%, while the Shenzhen Component closed 1.6% higher. Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index declined 0.98%. Key economic data released on Friday revealed lower-than-expected retail sales and industrial output in China for July.