U.S. stock index futures rose on Friday, supported by Apple’s gains following its sales growth forecast. Investors are awaiting the release of key inflation data, which could influence the Federal Reserve’s future policy decisions. Apple climbed 3.4% in pre-market trading after its quarterly report, where the company projected steady revenue growth, signaling a recovery in iPhone sales driven by the introduction of AI technologies.

The December Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Experts expect inflation to rise by 0.3% month-on-month and 2.6% year-on-year. Excluding food and energy, the PCE index is forecast to increase by 0.2% for the month and remain at 2.8% annually. The Federal Reserve has kept interest rates unchanged, and Chair Jerome Powell stated that there is no rush to cut rates until economic indicators justify such a move.

At 4:51 a.m. ET, Dow Jones futures were up 131 points (+0.29%), S&P 500 futures gained 24.5 points (+0.4%), and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 153.5 points (+0.71%). Despite Friday’s rise, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are set to end the week in negative territory following a tech stock sell-off triggered by a breakthrough in artificial intelligence by Chinese startup DeepSeek. Microsoft lost over 6% on Thursday after issuing a weaker-than-expected cloud business growth forecast, adding to broader market pressure.

Global markets remain tense following Donald Trump’s announcement of a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada. Other major stock movements include a 14.6% drop in Deckers Outdoor shares after a disappointing sales forecast and a 10.5% decline in Walgreens Boots Alliance shares after suspending dividend payments.