US pre-open: Futures mixed after Dow Jones closes over 34,000 for first time

Wall Street futures were pointing to a mixed open ahead of the bell on Friday after the Dow Jones topped 34,000 for the first time in history yesterday.

As of 1220 BST, Dow Jones and S&P 500 futures had the indices opening 0.12% and 0.06% firmer, respectively, while Nasdaq-100 futures were down 0.09%.

The Dow closed 305.1 points higher on Thursday thanks to some better-than-expected jobless claims data and corporate results.

Corporate earnings were again at the forefront of investors' minds, with Morgan Stanley and BNY Mellon both looking to follow a trend set in their peers' quarterly report cards earlier in the week.

Data out of China was in focus prior to the open on Friday, with the Asian nation posting an incredible 18.3% GDP reading thanks to its ability to both suppress Covid-19 and stimulate its economy to outperform throughout the pandemic, partly due to its reliance on manufacturing - a major benefactor of stimulus programmes amid services-sector lockdowns. China also revealed a huge 34.2% jump in retail sales.

Also in focus, US Treasury yields tumbled to a one-month low on Thursday and were flat at around 1.57% early on Friday.

On the macro front, building permits and housing starts figures will be published at 1330 BST, while a preliminary reading of the University of Michigan's April consumer sentiment index will follow at 1500 BST.