US stock futures trod water on Friday, looking for a footing after a broad market sell-off as Wall Street waited for the latest reading on consumer inflation for a steer on the path of interest rates.

Contracts on the S&P 500 (ES=F) traded flat, while those on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) nudged up 0.1%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) edged down 0.1% to eye a third day of losses.

Caution remains after a day of heavy selling for stocks on Thursday as fears about AI disruption spilled into sectors such as real estate, transportation, and software. Techs got pummeled as with all seven of the “Magnificent Seven” megacaps finishing lower. Apple (AAPL) sank 5% for its steepest one-day drop since April 2025.

The wait is now on for the January update to the consumer price index. The crucial consumer inflation reading is likely to shape expectations for an already complicated Federal Reserve policy.

In premarket trading, Applied Materials (AMAT) stock surged over 10% after the chip equipment maker delivered better-than-expected quarterly results and issuing an upbeat outlook. Rivian (RIVN) shares leapt 13% after releasing a positively surprising earnings report with revenue of $1.286 billion versus the predicted $1.26 billion.

Earnings season continues with eyes on Moderna's (MRNA) report, after it suffered a 10% drop in share value this week as the FDA rejected a new flu vaccine.

Rivian (RIVN) stock soared 19% during premarket hours on Friday following the release of better-than-expected fourth-quarter results on Thursday.

Yahoo Finance's Pras Subramanian reports:

For the quarter, Rivian reported revenue of $1.286 billion versus $1.26 billion, per Bloomberg consensus estimates, down around 27% from a year ago. Rivian attributed the revenue declines to the loss of regulatory emissions credit sales, the expiration of the federal EV tax credit, and lower average selling prices.

The company posted an adjusted loss per share of $0.59 versus $0.69 expected, with an adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) loss of $465 million versus $568.2 million expected.

Rivian stock surged over 10% in after-hours trade.

Crucially, the company said its upcoming R2 midsize vehicle is targeting customer deliveries for the second quarter, after early manufacturing validation builds rolled off the assembly line in January.

And for a second quarter in a row, the company posted a gross profit of $120 million, broken down between a loss of $59 million for the automotive segment and a $179 million gain from software and services. Rivian said the jump in software and services profit is due to \\"vehicle architecture and software development services\\" stemming from its joint venture with Volkswagen (VOW3.DE).

Read the full story here.

Applied Materials (AMAT) stock climbed 11% during premarket hours on Friday after the ⁠semiconductor equipment maker beat Wall Street expectations on the top and bottom lines.

The after-hours reaction to Applied Materials' results added to the strong run for the stock in 2026. Year to date, shares are up 27%.

Reuters reports:

The company is ​also expected ​to cash ​in on a ‌worldwide memory shortage, with memory providers boosting investment in increasing their manufacturing capacity.

Applied Materials expects second-quarter sales of about $7.65 billion, plus or minus $500 ‌million, compared with ​estimates of $7.01 billion, according ​to ​data compiled by LSEG.

The company ‌expects second-quarter adjusted profit ​of ​about $2.64 per share, plus or minus 20 cents, compared with estimates ​of profit ‌of $2.28.

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Pinterest stock sank 19% before the bell on Friday after forecasting first quarter revenue below analysts' estimates on Thursday.

Reuters reports:

The results underscore the image-sharing platform's ongoing struggle to compete ‌for advertising dollars against deep-pocketed platforms, sending its shares ‌down 12% in extended trading.

For the first quarter, the company sees revenue in the range of $951 ‌million to $971 million, below the analysts' average ​estimate of $980.1 million, according to data ​compiled by LSEG.

The company's ​ended 2025 with 619 million global monthly active ‌users, up from the 553 million ​it had reported ​in 2024, a sign that Pinterest's core product remains appealing to consumers seeking inspiration for everything from home decor to ​fashion and recipes.

Revenue ‌for the fourth quarter grew 14% to $1.32 billion, largely ​in line with estimates of $1.33 billion.

Read more here.

Bloomberg reports:

After Beijing slammed them shut about a decade ago, the gates have flung open again for Chinese firms to go on overseas acquisition sprees.

In January alone, the volume of outbound mergers and acquisitions from Greater China approached $12 billion, the most for the first month of a year since 2017. The shopping list included high-profile names like German sports brand Puma SE and Canadian miner Allied Gold Corp.

The turnaround is gathering momentum after a prolonged lull that began in the mid to late 2010s, when China capped outbound investment to rein in exuberant spending. One particularly high-profile case was HNA Group Co., which went on a debt-fueled international binge into names such as Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. and Deutsche Bank AG before collapsing.

“We have seen a pickup in outbound M&A interest from China,” said Richard Griffiths, BNP Paribas SA’s head of M&A in Asia Pacific. “Many new situations are being evaluated at the moment and we expect more significant deals to be announced in 2026.”

Read more here.

Bloomberg reports:

Gold (GC=F) clawed back some losses after a sudden selloff in the previous session, with dip-buyers snapping up the metal ahead of key US inflation data.

Bullion rose as much as 1.4% on Friday, having lost 3.2% in the previous session – the biggest one-day fall in a week. That decline accompanied jitters on Wall Street, where prices buckled across asset classes on concern over the impact of AI on companies’ earnings. The pullback in gold may have been amplified by margin calls and algorithmic trading.

The selloff in US stocks spilled over into precious metals, as some investors with broad holdings were forced to sell commodities to cover margin calls, said Liu Shiyao, an analyst with Zijin Tianfeng Futures Co. “In many cases, investors hold these assets at the same time: when one side is sold off, the other faces redemption pressure,” she said. “However, the impact won’t be too significant. Gold is still in a consolidation phase.”

The pullback was likely intensified by selling from commodity trading advisers using computer models to bet on price moves, said Michael Ball, a macro strategist at Bloomberg.

Read more here.