archiveWall Street Journal

US stock futures edged up on Thursday as bets on interest-rate cuts rose after President Trump hinted he was looking at replacing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell earlier than expected. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) nudged 0.2% higher, while S&P 500 futures (ES=F) rose about 0.2%. Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) gained 0.4%. Trump's frustration with Powell's "wait and see" approach to interest rates has led him to consider announcing his pick to succeed the Fed chair in September or October, The Wall Street Journal reported. Powell's...

US economic activity continued to sink this month amid uncertainty around tariff policy. New data from S&P Global out Wednesday showed its flash composite PMI output index for April — which captures activity in the services and manufacturing sectors — fell to 51.2, the lowest in 16 months. Manufacturing activity rose to 50.7, up from 50.2 in March. Services activity fell to 51.4 from 54.4 in March. Readings above 50 indicate an expansion in activity in the sector; readings below 50 indicate contraction. Sentiment about the year ahead fell sharply,...