US Stocks Nudge Higher as Caution Holds Sway: Markets Wrap
(Bloomberg) — US stock futures edged higher in cautious trading ahead of Friday’s open after a dramatic week that saw a rotation from the artificial-intelligence trade, hot inflation and a sharp rebound in Treasuries.
S&P 500 contracts rose 0.1%, with the index heading for its worst week since August. Treasuries were similarly restrained. The front end eased slightly after Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh made no remarks on the near-term policy outlook despite this week’s inflation readings. Ten-year yields rose two basis points, but remained on course for their biggest weekly decline this year.
Traders have had a complex mix of forces to navigate this week. Elevated bond yields have made the vast AI infrastructure buildout more expensive while offering an increasingly attractive alternative to stocks. Meanwhile, energy-driven price pressures are increasingly rippling through the global economy, keeping pressure on central banks to tighten policy.
Europe’s Stoxx 600 rose 0.4%, led by telecom and auto stocks. The rotation from tech is helping the index push toward its first week of outperformance against the S&P 500 since August.
In China, regulators moved to stabilize the equity market by urging companies and state funds to buy shares while guiding some investors to curb selling, people familiar with the matter said.
Oil was set for a second weekly advance as mounting Middle East supply risks outweighed a fresh release of emergency reserves. The dollar headed for back-to-back losses and the currency’s worst weekly performance since September.
Some of the main moves in markets:
Stocks
The Stoxx Europe 600 rose 0.3% as of 8:35 a.m. London time S&P 500 futures rose 0.1% Nasdaq 100 futures were little changed Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose 1.1% The MSCI Emerging Markets Index rose 0.7% Currencies
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.2% The euro rose 0.2% to $1.1244 The Japanese yen was little changed at 157.97 per dollar The offshore yuan was little changed at 6.6867 per dollar The British pound rose 0.4% to $1.3322 Cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin was little changed at $82,041.48 Ether fell 0.2% to $2,447.7 Bonds
The yield on 10-year Treasuries advanced three basis points to 5.08% Germany’s 10-year yield was little changed at 3.41% Britain’s 10-year yield was little changed at 5.38% Commodities
Brent crude fell 0.5% to $105.36 a barrel Spot gold rose 0.4% to $4,187.96 an ounce This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.
–With assistance from Neil Campling.
©2026 Bloomberg L.P.
