Gold prices extended their slide on Thursday, trading at around $3,220 per ounce during pre-market hours, as traders welcomed signs of progress in trade talks between the U.S. and countries facing President Trump's hefty tariff hikes.

U.S. stock futures rose Thursday, led by gains in technology shares, after strong quarterly results from Microsoft (MSFT) and Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta Platforms (META) helped ease concerns that President Donald Trump’s tariff actions might weigh on corporate earnings.

Nasdaq 100 futures surged 1.8%, while S&P 500 futures jumped roughly 1.3%. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which includes fewer tech stocks, were up 0.9%.

Microsoft shares soared in pre-market trade, jumping as much as 9%, after beating expectations on revenue and profit, driven by continued growth in its cloud and AI divisions.

Meta stock also climbed nearly 6% in early trading after issuing a forecast that beat Wall Street estimates. The company’s outlook helped alleviate concerns that advertising demand might weaken amid growing economic uncertainty stemming from trade tensions.

Major index-tracking ETFs mirrored the strength in tech. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) climbed 1.2%, while the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), which tracks the Nasdaq 100, rose 1.8%, led by strength in technology shares. The SPR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (DIA) traded 0.8% higher. 

On Thursday, Wall Street will remain focused on earnings, with tech giants Apple (AAPL) and Amazon (AMZN) due to share their results after the bell.

Both companies are navigating fallout from Trump’s trade policies. Amazon has pledged not to pass on import costs to consumers, while Apple is accelerating efforts to diversify production out of China, even as iPhones remain temporarily exempt from U.S. tariffs.

Meanwhile, gold prices (XAU/USD) extended their slide on Thursday, trading at around $3,220 per ounce during pre-market hours, as traders welcomed signs of progress in trade talks between the U.S. and countries facing President Trump's hefty tariff hikes.

Bitcoin’s (BTC) price rose 1.2% in the last 24 hours, trading just above $96,000, according to CoinGecko data. 

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