US Futures Edge Higher Pre-Bell Friday as Softer Inflation Data Fuel Hopes for Fed Rate Cut

06:12 AM EST, 12/19/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US futures were edging higher pre-bell Friday as lower-than-expected US inflation data fueled hopes for a Federal rate cut.

The US seasonally adjusted consumer price index, a measure of inflation, rose by 2.7% in November from a year earlier, below expectations for a 3.1% increase in a survey conducted by Bloomberg.

Most Asian markets gained at Friday's close, while European markets were largely muted intraday.

In the futures, the S&P 500 was up 0.3%, the Nasdaq was advancing by 0.5%, and the Dow Jones was 0.1% higher.

Early movers include Oracle (ORCL), which was up more than 5% premarket, following media reports that the company, Silver Lake, and MGX have signed deals with ByteDance's TikTok to form a new US joint venture overseeing the American version of the social media platform.

Nike (NKE), on the other hand, was down more than 10% in pre-bell hours after it reported overnight a decline in fiscal Q2 earnings.

Separately, Paychex (PAYX) and Carnival (CCL, CUK) are set to release quarterly earnings reports within the day.

On the economic calendar is the Personal Income and Outlays and Existing Home Sales reports for November, as well as the Consumer Sentiment reading for December, at 10 am ET.

In premarket action, Bitcoin traded at $88,207, West Texas Intermediate crude oil traded 0.2% higher at $56.09, and 10-year US Treasuries offered 4.15%. Spot gold traded for $4,329 an ounce.

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