U.S. Stock Futures Rise After Wall St Hits Record High on Strong Earnings, Data

Author: Ambar Warrick (Investing.com)
Published: July 18, 2025

By 05:40 a.m. ET (09:40 GMT) on Friday, U.S. stock index futures rose modestly following another record-breaking session on Wall Street. The Dow Jones Futures gained ~90 points (+0.2%), S&P 500 Futures +12 points (+0.2%), and Nasdaq 100 Futures +40 points (+0.2%) Investors+4Investing.com+4Investing.com Canada+4.

Market Drivers

Record-high equity closes: The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both secured new closing highs Thursday, driven by robust Q2 corporate earnings and encouraging retail sales data The Times of India+9Investing.com Nigeria+9Reuters+9.

Economic resilience: Better-than-expected retail sales in June and a decline in weekly jobless claims reinforced investor confidence in the strength of the U.S. economy Reuters+1Business Insider+1.

Fed outlook: Amid ongoing tariff uncertainty, economic indicators are reducing pressure on the Federal Reserve. Some analysts now forecast a first rate cut in September or October Investing.com+5Investing.com+5Investing.com Canada+5.

Earnings Highlights

Netflix: Q2 earnings beat expectations and full‑year revenue guidance was raised, yet the stock fell ~2% in premarket trading amid analyst caution The Times of India+15Investing.com+15Investors+15.

Banks & Industrials: American Express, 3M, Charles Schwab, Interactive Brokers, and others reported strong Q2 results—3M rose 3%, Interactive Brokers surged ~5%, and AmEx and Schwab posted solid gains Investors.

Tech & Semis: Taiwan Semiconductor and Nvidia delivered standout performances, supporting the broader tech rally Investing.com+9Investors+9Investopedia+9.

Commodities & Treasury Yields

Oil: U.S. crude and Brent rose ~1.5–1.8% to ~$67–70/barrel, influenced by supply concerns from drone attacks in Iraqi Kurdistan and geopolitical tensions AP News+5Investing.com+5Investing.com+5.

Treasuries: The 10‑year yield dipped to ~4.43% as futures gained; the yield curve remains under observation AP News+15Investors+15Investing.com+15.

Dollar & gold: The dollar steadied near recent highs while gold prices edged lower, reflecting diminished expectations for Fed action Reuters.

Looking Ahead

Upcoming reports: Investors are awaiting July consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan and earnings from Coca‑Cola, Texas Instruments, Alphabet, and Tesla Investing.com+7Investors+7Investing.com Canada+7.

Market caution: Despite the overall positivity, some analysts warn of potential pullback risks—Nasdaq is ~6.8% above its 50‑day moving average .

Conclusion

Strong corporate earnings, healthy consumer spending, and resilient economic data propelled U.S. markets to fresh record highs and lifted futures. While Netflix’s pullback highlights pockets of caution, broader fundamentals remain solid. Traders now await forthcoming data and earnings to confirm the sustainability of this rally.