US stock futures turned higher Friday after the week’s latest bout of turbulence, while bitcoin kept tumbling to hit a multimonth low as AI worries continued to weigh on investors.
Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) rose 0.4%, while those on the S&P 500 (ES=F) gained 0.5%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) led the way higher, gaining 0.7%. Stocks closed sharply lower on Thursday in a remarkable turnabout.
US equities perked up in premarket after the New York Fed president, John Williams, said Friday he sees room for a cut in the “near term.” That led rate-cut bets for the Fed’s next meeting to spike, with almost 70% of bets on a December cut, a reversal from Thursday. Williams’ remarks come amid evidence of a deeply divided Fed heading into its final meeting of 2025.
While stocks are seesawing, cryptocurrencies are feeling even greater heat — signs that the risk-off mood still haunts markets. Bitcoin (BTC-USD) sank on Friday to trade as low as $82,000, deepening a slide from record-high levels just more than a month ago. It is now heading for its worst month since the crypto collapse of 2022.
It’s shaping up to be a rocky month on Wall Street, too, with the S&P 500 (^GSPC) headed for its worst November since 2008 amid mounting concerns over an AI-fueled “bubble.” Not even Nvidia (NVDA) and its CEO, Jensen Huang, could allay those fears after its blowout earnings reveal on Wednesday.
Read more: Live coverage of corporate earnings
The major US gauges are also facing weekly losses across the board. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) are on track for declines of over 2% and 3%, having ended Thursday their lowest levels since September. The blue-chip Dow (^DJI) faces a drop above 3%, too.
On Friday, investors will get a final read of November consumer confidence from the University of Michigan, after the preliminary reading found the measure near a three-year low. Other Fed officials are also set to speak, perhaps offering further clarity on the central bank’s rate path.
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