The Middle East conflict continues to have an impact on energy supply across the globe with a dual blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Early trends from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open mostly positive on Friday.
Asian shares finished mostly lower, while European shares are trading broadly up.
As of 7.30 am ET, the Dow futures were gaining 132.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were adding 9.00 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were sliding 51.75 points.
On Thursday, the U.S. major averages posted strong gains at the close. The Dow surged 790.33 points or 1.6 percent to 49,652.14, the S&P 500 jumped 73.06 points or 1 percent to 7,209.01 and the Nasdaq advanced 219.08 points or 0.9 percent to 24,892.31.
On the economic front, the PMI Manufacturing Final for April will be issued at 9.45 am ET. In the prior month the flash index was 54.0.
The ISM Manufacturing Index for April will be published at 10.00 am ET. The consensus is 53.0, while it was up 52.7 in March.
The Baker Hughes Rig Count for the week will be revealed at 1.00 pm ET. In the prior week, the North America rig count was 674, while the U.S. rig count was 544.
Asian stocks closed mostly lower on Friday. China and Hong Kong markets were closed for a holiday. The Nikkei 225 of Japan gained 228 points or 0.38 percent to close at 59,513.12.
Australia's S&P/ASX200 closed trading at 8,729.80, up 64 points or 0.74 percent.
European shares are trading broadly higher. Among the major indexes in the region, the CAC 40 Index of France is adding 42.71 points or 0.53 percent. The German DAX is progressing 337.82 points or 1.41 percent, the U.K. FTSE 100 Index is sliding 56.68 points or 0.55 percent.
The Swiss Market Index is gaining 104.37 points or 0.80 percent.
The Euro Stoxx 50 Index, which is a compilation of 50 blue chip stocks across the euro area, is up 1.12 percent.
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Business News
April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.