U.S. stock futures are rising

US stock index futures rose slightly in subdued trading on Friday night, stabilising after a mixed session on Wall Street, as mid-session economic data reinforced bets on further interest rate cuts this year.

Dow Jones futures rose xx points, or 0.2 per cent, S&P 500 futures added xx points, or 0.2 per cent, and Nasdaq 100 futures climbed xx points, or 0.2 per cent.

Attention was also focused on potential trade agreements between Donald Trump's administration and major US trading partners following the de-escalation of the US-China trade war earlier this week.

The gains on Wall Street this week were mainly driven by optimism over the de-escalation of trade relations, while lower than expected inflation figures prompted bets on further rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.

By Thursday, however, that gains had slowed somewhat, especially among heavily weighted technology stocks.

S&P 500 futures were unchanged at 5,935.25 points and Nasdaq 100 futures were steady at 21,414.50 points by 09:00 Moscow time. Dow Jones futures rose 0.1 per cent to 42,420.0 points.

Wall Street ends mixed session amid cooling rally in tech stocks

Wall Street indices posted a mixed close on Thursday, with technology stocks losing ground after strong gains this week.

However, losses in the technology sector were offset by gains in economically sensitive sectors as soft data on producer inflation and retail sales reinforced bets that the Federal Reserve will be forced to cut interest rates further this year.

Markets appear positioned for at least two rate cuts by the central bank despite the lack of clear signals from the Fed on when it plans to cut rates.

The S&P 500 rose 0.4 per cent to 5,916.93 points, while the NASDAQ Composite fell 0.2 per cent to 19,112.32 points. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.7 per cent to 42,322.75 points.

Post-market close moves: Vistra rises, Take-Two and Applied Materials fall

Among the major moves after the market close, electric utility Vistra Energy Corp (NYSE:VST) rose nearly 4% after announcing a $1.9 billion deal to acquire natural gas assets, likely part of its ambitions to generate power for artificial intelligence data centres.

Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc (NASDAQ:TTWO) fell 2.5% after its full-year booking forecast fell short of expectations, following a delay in the release of the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI tittle.

Applied Materials Inc (NASDAQ:AMAT) fell 5.4% as weaker-than-expected revenue and an unimpressive outlook largely offset strong quarterly earnings.

Several other chip makers recorded positive earnings this week, boosting confidence that AI will support demand in the coming quarters.

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