US pre-open: Stocks trade following 'certain positive shifts' in Russia-Ukraine talks
Wall Street futures were in the green ahead of the bell on Friday after news broke that ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine may be picking up steam.
As of 1240 GMT, Dow Jones futures were up 1.11%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 1.27% and 1.58% higher, respectively.
The Dow closed 112.18 points lower on Thursday as investors digested key inflation data that revealed consumer prices had climbed further.
Major indices registered pre-market gains on Friday after Reuters published a brief report that quoted Vladimir Putin as having said that "certain positive shifts" had occurred in the talks between the two nations.
However, US-Russia tensions were also heating up, with president Joe Biden now expected to call for an end to Moscow's status as a preferred trade partner, according to Bloomberg, and, Congress passing a funding bill that includes $14.0bn of aid for Ukraine.
On the macro front, a preliminary reading of March's University of Michigan consumer sentiment index will be published at 1500 GMT.
No major corporate earnings were slated for release on Friday.