The import and export prices in the month of June and the University of Michigan's preliminary Consumer Sentiments reports for July might get special attention on Friday. Earnings reports will also influence investor sentiments.
Early signs from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open mostly up.Asian shares finished higher, while European shares are trading broadly higher.
As of 7.42 am ET, the Dow futures were up 148.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were adding 4.00 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were declining 8.00 points.
The U.S. major averages closed in positive territory on Thursday. The Nasdaq surged 219.61 points or 1.6 percent to 14,138.57, the S&P 500 jumped 37.88 points or 0.9 percent to 4,510.04 and the narrower Dow inched up 47.71 points or 0.1 percent to 34,395.13.
On the economic front, the Import and Export Prices for July 2023 will be issued at 8.30 am ET. The consensus is for a decline of 0.3 percent, while it was down 0.6 percent in May.
The University of Michigan's Consumer Survey Center for July will be released at 10.00 am ET. The consensus is for 65.5, while it was up 64.4 in the prior month.
The Baker Hughes Rig Count for the week will be published at 1.00 pm. In the prior week, the North America rig count was 855 and the U.S. rig count was 680.
Asian stocks advanced on Friday. Chinese shares finished marginally higher. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index edged up 0.33 percent to 19,413.78.
Japanese shares ended flat with a negative bias. The Nikkei average finished marginally lower at 32,391.26. The broader Topix index slipped 0.17 percent to 2,239.10.
Australian stocks rose notably. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.78 percent to close at 7,303.10. The broader All Ordinaries index finished 0.83 percent higher at 7,517.10.
European shares are trading mostly higher. CAC 40 of France is gaining 23.57 points or 0.32 percent. DAX of Germany is declining 29.67 points or 0.18 percent. FTSE 100 of England is progressing 12.80 points or 0.17 percent. The Swiss Market Index is up 63.14 points or 0.57 percent.
Euro Stoxx 50 which provides a Blue-chip representation of supersector leaders in the Eurozone, is up 0.30 percent.
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April 17, 2026 15:29 ET The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to raise concerns for policymakers who worry about the impact of the supply shock and high energy prices on the real economy. Producer price data and various survey results on the housing market were the main news from the U.S. this week. In Europe, industrial production data for the euro area gained attention. GDP figures out of China and the policy move by the Singapore central bank were in focus in Asia.