22.08.202500:30:06UTC+00US Futures Rise Ahead of Powell Speech

U.S. stock futures edged higher on Friday as investors eagerly anticipated remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole symposium, seeking insight into future interest rate directions. There is caution in the markets, with concerns that Powell may curb expectations for an imminent rate reduction. In after-hours trading, Intuit saw a decline of over 5% despite posting strong quarterly performance, while Zoom Communications surged nearly 6% following better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter. On Thursday, both the Dow and the Nasdaq Composite declined by 0.34%, while the S&P 500 fell by 0.4%. Walmart significantly impacted market sentiment, dropping 4.5% after missing earnings expectations for the first time since 2022, though it did revise its full-year sales and profit projections upwards. The broader retail sector showed signs of weakness, exacerbating concerns about consumer spending resilience amidst heightened tariffs and inconsistent spending patterns.