FX.co ★ US Futures Rise

U.S. stock futures experienced a rise on Thursday, with contracts across the three major indices climbing approximately 1%. This increase came in response to President Trump's announcement regarding a trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom. Investor sentiment was further buoyed by news that the administration is likely to ease certain restrictions on chipmakers put in place during the Biden administration. Leading technology companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, and Tesla, saw premarket trading gains, with increases of 1%, 1%, 1.6%, 1.8%, 2%, 1.8%, and 1.2%, respectively. In parallel developments, President Trump stated he would maintain tariffs on China, ruling out reductions as a prerequisite for initiating trade discussions prior to upcoming U.S.-China talks in Switzerland this weekend. On a related note, the Federal Reserve decided to hold the federal funds rate steady, as anticipated, but highlighted escalating uncertainty surrounding the economic outlook, with heightened risks of increased unemployment and inflation.