Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange on Jan. 30, 2025.Â
NYSE
Stock futures moved higher Friday as investors analyzed earnings reports from Apple and other well-known companies, alongside the release of a closely followed inflation report.
Nasdaq-100 futures gained 0.7%, while those tied to the S&P 500 advanced 0.4%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures added 119 points, or 0.3%.
Investors honed in on Apple, whose shares rose 4% in extended trading after the company exceeded expectations of analysts polled by LSEG on both lines for its fiscal first quarter. While Apple reported disappointing sales tied to the iPhone, services revenue appeared to take the spotlight.
Chip plays Intel and KLA respectively rose 1% and 5% on the back of stronger-than-forecast earnings. Beyond tech, Deckers Outdoor shares plunged around 15% as full-year revenue guidance came in slightly short of Wall Street estimates.
The December data for the personal consumption expenditures price index — the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge — showed an increase of 0.3% from November and a 2.6% annual rate. While this yearly advance was in line with economists’ expectations, it marked an acceleration from the prior month’s rate of 2.4% — raising some concerns that inflation remains sticky. Excluding food and energy, core PCE also increased 0.2% monthly and 2.8% on an annual basis.
Friday’s action follows a winning — but volatile — trading session for the three major indexes. Technology has been a major focus of investors this week given Monday’s big sell-off sparked by developments out of China’s DeepSeek artificial intelligence startup and earnings reports from key players over recent days.
Despite those advances, only the Dow is on track to finish the week higher. While the blue-chip index has risen about 1%, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite are poised to finish down by 0.5% and 1.4%, respectively.
Friday also marks the last day of what has been a rocky January for traders. Nevertheless, the three major averages are on pace for monthly gains, with the S&P 500 up 3.2% and the Nasdaq on pace for a 1.9% advance. The Dow outperformed in the period, on track for a 5.5% jump.
“We still do have a fair amount of earnings,” said Jay Hatfield, CEO of Infrastructure Capital Advisors. “Usually, it pays to be long during earnings, so we would continue to be bullish into February.”
