Stock futures climbed on Friday and markets headed for a winning week, amid growing optimism over the U.S. economic recovery following strong labour market data.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials popped 146 points, or 0.4%, to 34,583.
Futures for the S&P 500 moved up 12.5 points, or 0.3%, to 4,211.50.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite gained 36.75 points, or 0.3%, to 13,702.25.
The S&P 500 is up 1.1% week to date and sits less than 1% from a record. The blue-chip Dow is 0.75% higher over the same time period, while the NASDAQ has gained nearly 2%.
For May, the S&P 500 is essentially flat, while the Dow is up 1.7%. The NASDAQ is off by about 1.6%.
Trading is expected to be muted ahead of the Memorial Day weekend.
Salesforce shares rose about 4% in pre-market trading after the software company’s first-quarter earnings beat Wall Street expectations on its top and bottom lines. HP shares dropped 5% despite the company’s better-than-expected second-quarter results.
Ford was higher once again, up 1% in pre-market trading Friday. The stock is up 11% this week so far after unveiling a new electric vehicle strategy.
On the economic front, personal Income and consumer spending will be released along with the PCE Core Price Index, closely watched by the Federal Reserve for signs of inflation. The PCE is expected to have increased 2.9% in April year-over-year, according to economists polled by Dow Jones.
Overseas, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 leaped 2.1% Friday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index gained just more than 11 points.
Oil prices increased 49 cents to $67.34 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices dipped $9.80 to $1,888.70 U.S.