Wall Street futures rise as tech stocks gain, Netflix rises after strong earnings

(Reuters) – Wall Street futures rose on Friday, led by gains among those tracking the Nasdaq 100, as technology stocks rose across the board while Netflix rose sharply after positive results.

Shares of Netflix rose 5.8% in premarket trading after the streaming giant beat Wall Street estimates for subscriber growth and said it expects continued growth through the end of the year.

All of the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks, which have been the main drivers of Wall Street's gains this year, rose in premarket trading, with Apple rising 1.1% after data showed a surge in new iPhone sales in China.

Chip heavyweight Nvidia rose 1.2%, building on gains from the previous session, after strong results from contract chipmaker TSMC lifted semiconductor stocks.

Dow E-minis rose 30 points or 0.07%, US S&P 500 E-minis rose 13 points or 0.22%, Nasdaq 100 E-minis rose 93 points or 0.46%.

Meanwhile, U.S. listings of Chinese companies jumped after the central bank launched financing programs to boost the stock market. Alibaba rose 3.7%, JD.com rose 5.4% and PDD Holdings rose 5.6%.

Positive earnings from financial companies and broadly positive economic data have catapulted the Dow Jones and S&P 500 to new record highs this week. The Dow closed at a record high on Thursday, although there are signs that investors are exploring cheaper areas of the market.

All three major indexes were on track for a sixth straight session of gains, although the Russell 2000 was expected to do better, rising 2%. Futures tracking the small-cap index rose 0.4%.

At the same time, Treasury yields rose slightly, with the benchmark 10-year bond yield back above 4.1%, which could add further pressure on stocks.

“We expect equity market performance to broaden further now that interest rate cuts are underway, but larger companies are both fully valued and less sensitive to interest rate changes, leading us to continue to favor higher quality small and medium-sized companies.” said Neuberger Berman portfolio managers.

Stretched valuations amid high expectations for corporate results – the S&P 500 trades at nearly 22 times expected earnings – could also make stocks vulnerable to a decline.

The Procter & Gamble Company, American Express and SLB are expected to report their results before the market close.

September housing starts are on the data list, while Fed officials Christopher Waller, Neel Kashkari and Raphael Bostic are scheduled to speak later in the day.

Expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by 25 basis points at the November meeting have remained fairly stable throughout the week and are currently at 92.1%, according to CME's FedWatch.

(Reporting by Lisa Mattackal in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)