US equity futures are mixed after Wednesday’s rally pushed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq to fresh record closes. Asia ended higher, with Japan leading gains and tech supporting sentiment in Korea and Taiwan, while European markets opened firmer. The market focus remained on trade policy developments, with momentum building toward new tariff deals. Trump confirmed a US-Japan agreement featuring a 15% tariff, below the earlier signaled 25% rate. Reports also indicated that the US and EU are close to finalizing a similar 15% deal with mutual tariff waivers. South Korea was said to offer a Japan-style agreement, though Yonhap reported high-level talks were suddenly postponed. Australia signaled intent to lift beef import restrictions to gain tariff relief. Meanwhile, Trump stated the new global tariff baseline may be set between 15% and 50%.
Companies Mentioned: Comcast, Goldman Sachs, Broadcom, Amazon