Wall Street pointed modestly higher before the opening bell as investors pored over the latest corporate earnings ahead of weekend trade talks between China and the U.S., the Associated Press reports. Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.2%, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged 0.1% higher. Nasdaq futures rose 0.3%
Markets initially seemed indifferent to what appeared to be a de-escalation of the U.S.-China trade rift by President Donald Trump, who floated cutting tariffs on China from 145% to 80%.
In premarket equities trading Friday, shares of the travel website Expedia fell 10% after it trimmed its full-year bookings forecast. The owner of Vrbo and Hotels.com highlighted a 7% decline in travel demand to the U.S., including a 30% decline in bookings from Canada.
Other travel-related companies, including Hilton and Airbnb, have reported a similar softening in travel demand to the U.S. in their recent earnings reports.
U.S. benchmark crude oil gained $1.23 to $61.14 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, added $1.19 to $64.03 per barrel.
The U.S. dollar fell to 145.25 Japanese yen from 145.91 yen.
