Global Markets Boosted by Strong U.S. Tech Earnings, Easing Trade Tension Hopes

By Dow Jones Newswires StaffU.S. stock futures and global stock markets posted solid gains early Friday in Europe, lifted by strong U.S. tech earnings and signs of easing trade tensions.Asian stock markets rose after China's Commerce Ministry said it is considering trade talks with the U.S., raising hopes for de-escalation.Meanwhile, Europe could resolve its trade dispute with the U.S. by purchasing 50 billion euros ($56.5 billion) of American goods like gas and soybeans, the EU's top trade negotiator said in an interview with the FT.Friday's key focus will be U.S. nonfarm payrolls data for April.Stock futures pointed to a higher open, with the Dow Industrials up 0.74%, S&P futures up 0.56% and Nasdaq futures up 0.28%. That follows solid gains on Wall Street on Thursday, propelled by better-than-expected results from Microsoft and Meta.The dollar fell a touch and 10-year Treasury yields were little changed ahead of nonfarm payrolls. The DXY dollar index was last down 0.4% to 99.863 against a basket of major currencies after reaching a near three-week high of 100.375 Thursday. The 10-year Treasury yield was unchanged at 4.231%, according to Tradeweb.Asian markets advanced broadly on Friday, lifted by strong U.S. tech earnings and signs of easing U.S.-China trade tensions, and Asian currencies mostly strengthened against the dollar. Japan's Nikkei 225 index climbed 1%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.8%. Taiwan TAIEX gained 2.7%, leading regional gains. Markets in China were closed.European stock markets advanced, with the Stoxx Europe 600 gaining 1% in morning trading. France's CAC 40 increased 1.3% and Germany's DAX rose 1.3%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 added 0.8%.In commodities, copper rose after Beijing officials raised hopes for lower tariffs. Oil prices also ticked higher on the improved sentiment. Brent crude and WTI were both up 0.2% to $62.24 and $59.32 a barrel ahead of Monday's meeting of OPEC+.Gold futures rose, recouping some ground lost over the course of the week on the slightly weaker U.S. dollar. Gold futures were recently up 1.5% at $3,269.20 a troy ounce.Write to Barcelona Editors at [email protected]