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  5. US markets today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures indicate gap-up opening; ExxonMobil, Chevron earnings in focus

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US markets today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures indicate gap-up opening; ExxonMobil, Chevron earnings in focus

Anubhav Mukherjee
By Anubhav Mukherjee

4 min read | Updated on July 31, 2026, 18:33 IST

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SUMMARY

US futures indicate a gap-up opening on Friday, July 31, as investors focus on Q2 earnings and positive momentum after the previous day's market rally. Here are key things to watch.

Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures indicate a positive open ahead of the opening bell on Friday, July 31. | Photo: Shutterstock

Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures indicate a positive open ahead of the opening bell on Friday, July 31. | Photo: Shutterstock

US markets today: Equity futures on Wall Street were indicating a gap-up opening on Friday, July 31, as investors focus on another positive trading round after the previous day’s equity market rally, which was fuelled by Microsoft’s better-than-expected earnings.
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Dow Jones futures were trading 0.49% higher at 52,636 points ahead of the opening bell on Friday, July 31, indicating a more than 400-point higher open when compared to the previous equity market close, according to Investing.com data.

The S&P 500 index futures were trading 0.22% higher at 7,489 points on Friday’s market, indicating a potentially 50-point higher open on July 31, as per the exchange data.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures were trading 0.80% higher at 28,459.75 points, indicating an extended rally potential and a more than 350-point higher opening on Friday’s market, when compared to the previous Wall Street close levels.

Key things to watch before US market opens

US markets recap

The benchmark indices in the United States rallied to close higher after the trading session on July 30, after Microsoft Q2 earnings indicated the company’s big spending on artificial intelligence (AI) is translating into profits, which in turn eased investors' fears.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 1.19% higher at 52,208.06 points after Thursday’s trading session, compared to 51,594.14 points at the previous stock market close, according to MarketWatch data.

The S&P 500 index ended 1.66% higher at 7,437.63 points after the trading session on July 30, in comparison to 7,316.15 points at the previous equity market close, as per the exchange data.

While the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 rallied to close 3.3% higher at 28,106.35 points after the trading session on Thursday, compared to 27,192.31 points at the previous Wall Street close.

Stocks to watch on July 31

ExxonMobil: ExxonMobil shares were trading more than 1% lower during the pre-market trading session on the New York Stock Exchange ahead of the opening bell on Friday, as investors focused on the company’s June quarter earnings report.
Chevron Corp: Chevron Corp shares were trading over 1% higher on Friday’s pre-market session as investors await the oil company’s Q2 earnings announcement, which is set to be released on July 31.
Colgate Palmolive Co.: Colgate Palmolive Co. shares were down 1.7% during the pre-market trading session on July 31, as investors were focused on the company’s upcoming April to June quarter earnings report for the calendar year 2026.
Key earnings stocks: Other stocks like AbbVie, Linde Plc, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), Eaton Corp., Dominion Energy, Imperial Oil, Fortis, and Moderna are among other companies which are set to announce their April to June quarter results on July 31.
Tech stocks: After a rally in tech stocks in the Asian markets, US tech equities like SK Hynix ADR, Nvidia, Broadcom, AMD, Qualcomm, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC), Texas Instruments, ASML Holdings, and Oracle are in focus on Friday, July 31.

Asian markets today

Stocks in the Asian markets rallied on Friday’s market session after Microsoft posted strong Q2 earnings, indicating that the company’s big spending on artificial intelligence (AI) is translating into profits.

This trigger powered the technology and related stocks in Asia, somewhat easing investors’ fears and concerns over the shift towards artificial intelligence (AI). Among other stocks, major tech firms like SK Hynix gained 30%, Samsung Electronics gained 28%, and Advantest gained 17%.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 ended 4% higher, China’s Shanghai Composite closed 0.72% higher, South Korea’s KOSPI ended 18% higher, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed 0.1% higher after the trading session on Friday.

Disclaimer: This article is purely for informational purposes and should not be considered investment advice from Upstox. Please consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

About The Author

Anubhav Mukherjee
Anubhav Mukherjee is a business journalist with experience at leading financial news platforms. He writes on a wide range of topics, including equity markets, corporate developments, company earnings and commodities. He holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business & Financial Journalism by Bloomberg from the Asian College of Journalism.

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