Nasdaq futures indicated an upward trajectory on Friday as the new year commenced, following a period in which major equity indexes concluded 2025 with four consecutive sessions of losses. Following the market closure yesterday in observance of New Year’s Day, futures for the Nasdaq 100, S&P 500, and Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced increases of 1%, 0.6%, and 0.4%, respectively, with stocks associated with artificial intelligence driving the gains. The tech-heavy Nasdaq, benchmark S&P 500, and blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced declines for the fourth consecutive session on Wednesday, following a five-session winning streak that concluded on Christmas Eve. Nevertheless, these indices finished the year with gains of approximately 20%, 16%, and 13%, respectively, bolstered by significant advancements from various firms associated with artificial intelligence.
U.S.-listed shares of Chinese firm Baidu experienced a notable increase of 12% in pre-market trading following the announcement that its AI chip unit, Kunlunxin, has filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong. Micron Technology, whose stock soared 239% in 2025, rose about 3% in early trading, while Nvidia and Intel were up 1.5% and 1.8%, respectively. Elsewhere, Tesla shares rose 1.3% ahead of its expected fourth-quarter deliveries figures, while those of RH and Wayfair advanced roughly 3.5% and 2.5%, respectively, after President Donald Trump delayed tariffs on imported furniture.
Following a significant increase in 2025, gold futures experienced an uptick of approximately 1.5%, reaching a price of $4,405 per ounce. West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, experienced a decline of 0.2%, settling at $57.30 per barrel. The 10-year Treasury yield, a key determinant of interest rates across various commercial and consumer loans, decreased to 4.15% from the previous day’s closing rate of 4.17%.
Bitcoin was trading around $89,400, an increase from the day’s low of below $88,200. The U.S. dollar index, which monitors the value of the greenback relative to a selection of foreign currencies, increased slightly to 98.46.