Wall Street was on track to open with strong gains Thursday due to optimism over a pending U.S. trade deal with Great Britain, according to the Associated Press. Futures for the S&P 500 jumped 1.1%, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9%. Big Tech and chip stocks pushed Nasdaq futures 1.5% higher.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that a deal due to be announced this morning will be a “full and comprehensive one that will cement the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom for many years to come.”
There is also hope that the United States and China may be making the first moves toward a trade deal. The announcement for high-level talks between U.S. and Chinese officials this weekend in Switzerland helped raise optimism. That was dimmed somewhat after Trump said that he wouldn’t reduce his 145% tariffs on Chinese goods as a condition for negotiations.
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude gained $1.01 to $59.08 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 93 cents to $62.05 per barrel.
In currencies, the U.S. dollar rose to 144.75 Japanese yen from 143.76 yen.
