Wall Street was on track to open with gains on Friday, adding to record highs ahead of next week’s busy slate of earnings, job market reports, a Federal Reserve policy meeting and the tariff

U.S. stock futures ticked up Friday morning, supported by a mostly upbeat earnings season even as several major names posted sharp premarket moves. Investors are also turning their attention to the Federal Reserve’s upcoming policy meeting next week.

Wall Street's main indexes opened steady on Friday following record closes for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq in the previous session, while investors looked for signs of progress in trade talks as they braced for the August 1 tariff deadline.

And Wall Street’s “fear gauge,” the VIX, exploded to rare heights… On April 8, the VIX closed above 50. We’ve only seen this level or higher in 2008, 2009, and 2020.

U.S. stock futures moved in different directions on Thursday, with enthusiasm for a potential U.S.-EU trade agreement supporting hopes for new market highs, even as investors reacted to quarterly results from tech giants Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA).