5 Things to Know Before the Stock Market Opens Friday

Here are the most important news, trends and analysis that investors need to start their trading day:. 1. Stocks relatively flat after another S&P 500 record high. U.S. stock futures were mixed Friday, a day after modest gains pushed the S&P 500 to another closing record and the Dow Jones Industrial Average to less than 24 points away from Monday's record close. The Nasdaq was the real winner Thursday, logging a 1% gain on strength in tech names. The Nasdaq was less than 2% away from its February record close. Lending support to stocks, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Thursday called the U.S. economic recovery from the Covid pandemic "uneven" and said temporarily higher prices won't lead to worrisome inflation. Those comments lent support to Fed reassurances that ultra-accommodative Covid-era monetary policies won't change any time soon.