On Friday, stock futures showed slight variations after a noteworthy month for major indexes, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite finishing April at record highs. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 suggested increases of 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively, while Nasdaq 100 futures reflected a decrease of 0.1%. On the final trading day of April, the three major U.S. stock indexes observed a significant uptick, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq reaching both intraday and closing records, as investors evaluated a substantial volume of earnings reports.
The Nasdaq registered a gain surpassing 15% for the month, while the S&P 500 noted an increase of over 10%, and the Dow marked an uptick of more than 7%. The indexes experienced their largest monthly percentage gains since April 2020, November 2020, and November 2024, respectively. Following the market’s close on Thursday, Apple announced quarterly results that surpassed expectations and provided an optimistic forecast, resulting in a premarket trading increase of over 3%.
In other significant post-earnings movements, Roblox shares declined by 23%; Western Digital and Sandisk decreased by 7% and 4.5%, respectively; Reddit rose by 17%; and Chevron saw an uptick of 1.5%. Exxon Mobil, a competitor of Chevron, was similarly set to disclose its earnings reports ahead of the market opening. The 10-year Treasury yield, a crucial factor influencing interest rates on mortgages and various consumer loans, was approximately 4.39%, reflecting an uptick from about 4.38% at Thursday’s close.
West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, increased to $105.20 a barrel in recent trading, while front-month contracts of Brent crude, the global benchmark, rose by 0.9% to $111.40. Gold futures experienced a decline of 1.1%, concluding at $4,5755 per ounce. Bitcoin was priced at $77,300, indicating a rise from the prior overnight lows of around $76,200. The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the value of the greenback against a basket of foreign currencies, held steady at 98.04.