Retail sentiment on major ETFs such as SPY and QQQ remains ‘bearish’ on Stocktwits despite easing shutdown risks.
- Wall Street braced for potential policy shifts ahead of a reported Fed Chair announcement and key inflation data.
- Gold and silver paused after record highs.
- Earnings from Apple, energy majors, and financials are adding to volatility at the end of a crowded week.
U.S. stock futures were lower early Friday as investors monitored fresh trade friction with Canada, easing government shutdown risks, and a slate of economic data and earnings to close out the week.
Markets are gearing up for potential policy shifts after reports suggest that Kevin Warsh is emerging as the lead choice for the next Federal Reserve Chair position, with President Trump expected to announce his pick on Friday morning.
As of 3:30 a.m. ET on Friday, Nasdaq futures were down nearly 1%, the S&P 500 and Dow futures declined 0.7%, while Russell 2000 futures were down 1.3%.
Meanwhile, retail sentiment toward the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), an exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P 500 Index, remained ‘extremely bearish’, while the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) ETF, which tracks the Nasdaq 100 Index, moderated to ‘bearish’ from a day ago, amid high message volumes.
Precious metals rally took a breather, with gold and silver seeing a pullback after hitting historic all-time highs. The iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was the top trending ticker on Stocktwits at the time of writing. SPDR Gold Shares ETF (GLD) also saw retail sentiment remaining in the ‘extremely bullish’ territory, with ‘extremely high’ levels of chatter.
Trending Stocks To Watch
Apple (AAPL): Earnings beat street estimates, driven by iPhone demand. The tech giant also confirmed the $1.6B acquisition of Israeli audio-AI startup Q.ai. Meanwhile, reports suggest it is prioritizing production and shipment of its three highest-end iPhone models for 2026 while delaying the rollout of its standard model.
SanDisk (SNDK): The data storage giant saw a huge after-hours rally on the back of a massive earnings beat
SoFi (SOFI): Reports earnings before markets open today. Retail ‘bulls’ on Stocktwits remain vocal about a potential Q4 beat and future S&P 500 inclusion.
Tesla (TSLA): Reports suggest that SpaceX is considering a potential merger with either Tesla or xAI.
ExxonMobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) report today amid a radical shift in Venezuela policy. On Thursday, the Trump administration reportedly gave a general license expanding the ability of oil companies to operate in Venezuela.
Bombardier, General Dynamics: President Trump has threatened a 50% tariff on all Canadian-made aircraft (specifically targeting Bombardier) and move to "decertify" them until Canada approves U.S.-made Gulfstream jets.
GameStop (GME): In focus after CEO Ryan Cohen signaled interest in a large acquisition, backed by a $9 billion cash pile.
Nvidia (NVDA): A Reuters report states that China has approved its top AI startup, DeepSeek, to buy Nvidia's H200 artificial intelligence chips, subject to regulatory conditions still being finalised.
Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN): AI search startup Perplexity has signed a $750M deal with Microsoft to use Azure cloud services amid its ongoing tussle with Amazon.
Robinhood (HOOD): News reports suggest that the Trump administration may tap the firm to help with its new tax-advantaged “Trump accounts” being created for children under 18.
Rocket Lab (RKLB): Successfully completed its 81st Electron launch.
Other tickers trending on Stocktwits at the time of writing included TechCreate Group (TCGL), SoundHound AI (SOUN), Palladyne AI (PDYN), among others.
Other Catalysts To Watch
On the economic front, traders will monitor the release of the Producer Price Index (PPI) and Core PPI at 8:30 am, followed by the Chicago PMI at 9:45 a.m. ET.
And on the earnings radar, investors will also be watching for the quarterly reports from American Express (AXP), Verizon (VZ), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), and Charter (CHTR), among others, before the markets open.
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