US Futures Rise as China Signals Trade Talks, Apple and Amazon Weigh on Sentiment

U.S. stock futures turned higher Thursday evening after China’s commerce ministry announced it was considering trade talks with Washington. The positive signal helped offset investor concerns over weaker corporate earnings and ongoing tariff pressures.

S&P 500 Futures climbed 0.6% to 5,654.75, Nasdaq 100 Futures rose 0.3% to 19,920.50, and Dow Jones Futures advanced 0.7% to 41,151.0 as of 21:19 ET (01:19 GMT). Earlier, futures dipped following mixed earnings, but the market rebounded on hopes of de-escalating U.S.-China trade tensions.

Beijing stated that any negotiations must be based on sincerity and the removal of unilateral tariffs. This came after the U.S. sent signals through multiple channels expressing interest in dialogue.

Despite broader optimism, extended trading saw declines in major tech stocks. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) dropped 3.8% after warning of $900 million in upcoming tariff-related costs. Although Apple beat Wall Street expectations in Q2 with strong iPhone sales, the tariff impact dampened sentiment. Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) also fell nearly 3% post-market after issuing weaker-than-expected guidance. The e-commerce giant forecast Q2 operating income between $13.0 billion and $17.5 billion, below analysts’ expectations, with cloud growth underwhelming.

Thursday’s regular session ended higher, led by gains in tech. The NASDAQ rose 1.5%, S&P 500 gained 0.6%, and the Dow added 0.2%. Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) surged over 7% on strong earnings and bullish cloud growth projections, while Meta (NASDAQ:META) jumped more than 4% after raising capex guidance for 2025.

Elsewhere, McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) slipped over 1% on weaker Q1 global sales, and Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) plunged 11% due to disappointing Zepbound weight-loss drug revenue. Weekly jobless claims rose by 18,000, signaling possible layoffs ahead of the key nonfarm payrolls report.