• US stock futures traded flat early Friday
Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100 futures edged up around 0.1 percent
Traders are digesting Big Tech earnings and Trump’s surprise Fed visit
• Trump toured the Federal Reserve’s 2.5 billion dollar renovation project — the same one he recently criticized as too expensive
• Although many speculated he’d use the visit as an excuse to remove Jerome Powell, Trump cooled tensions by saying:
“To do that is a big move… I just don’t think it’s necessary.”
• Still, he reiterated his desire for lower interest rates:
“I’d love him to lower interest rates.”

Earnings Watch
• Intel beat revenue expectations but its stock fell as the CEO announced layoffs and canceled factory plans
Google’s strong earnings, driven by AI optimism, pushed the S&P 500 to its fourth consecutive record high
• Wall Street remains focused on next week’s results from the Magnificent Seven: Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and others

Trade Talks Lift Oil and Market Sentiment
• Brent crude and WTI oil prices rose thanks to optimism around new US trade deals
The US finalized an agreement with Japan and is reportedly close to a deal with the European Union
This optimism is balancing out concerns over increased oil supply from Venezuela

What’s Next?
• Trump’s calm stance on Powell could be a strategic pause before he ramps up pressure on interest rates ahead of key decisions. If tech earnings remain strong and trade deals materialize, markets may climb further. But a hawkish Fed could derail the rally faster than expected.