-- US equity futures were higher pre-bell Friday after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite reached new closing highs to close out April amid a continued impasse in the Middle East.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.4% higher, S&P 500 futures were up 0.3%, and Nasdaq futures were marginally higher.
On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose 1% to close at 7,209.01, breaching the 7,200 mark for the first time, while Nasdaq increased 0.9% to close at 24,892.31, also a new closing record.
US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran's latest offer, stating that the US naval blockade on the nation's ports will remain until the regime agrees to a deal that addresses US concerns about its nuclear program, according to an Axios report on Wednesday.
Traders took note of the latest round of earnings, with energy majors Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) both reporting lower Q1 adjusted earnings but higher revenue.
Oil prices were mixed, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.4% at $110.85 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 1.2% lower at $103.79 per barrel.
The final Purchasing Managers' Manufacturing Index for April, due at 9:45 am ET, is seen coming in at 54.0, unchanged from its prior value, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
The April Institute for Supply Management's services index, due at 10 am ET, is projected at 53.2, versus 52.7 previously.
In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei, Hong Kong's Hang Seng, China's Shanghai Composite, and Germany's DAX index were all closed due to public holidays. The UK's FTSE 100 was down 0.6% in Europe's early afternoon session.
In equities, Roblox (RBLX) stock was down 24% after the company reported a wider Q1 loss and lower-than-expected revenue, as well as lowering its 2026 revenue outlook. Sandisk (SNDK) and Western Digital (WDC) shares dropped 4.6% and 8%, respectively, despite the companies posting fiscal Q3 earnings and revenue that surpassed analysts' consensus.
On the winning side, Apple (AAPL) stock was up 3.6% after the company posted higher fiscal Q2 earnings and revenue that also beat analysts' estimates. Reddit (RDDT) shares were up 15% after the company reported higher Q1 earnings and revenue in addition to issuing better-than-expected Q2 revenue guidance.