07:20 AM EDT, 07/18/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The benchmark US stock measures were tracking in the green before the open Friday as investors assess mixed messages from key Federal Reserve officials about interest rates, and await the week's final round of earnings.

The S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq edged up 0.1% each in premarket activity. The indexes closed Thursday's trading session in the green, with the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 reaching new highs.

Fed Governor Christopher Waller reportedly said Thursday that it "makes sense" for the central bank to lower its key lending rate by 25 basis points at its meeting later this month amid increasing economic risks.

"I see the hard and soft data on economic activity and the labor market as consistent: The economy is still growing, but its momentum has slowed significantly, and the risks to the (Federal Open Market Committee's) employment mandate have increased," Waller said, according to Reuters. Waller last month indicated that the Fed may be in a position to ease monetary policy as early as July.

In contrast, Fed Governor Adriana Kugler said Thursday that she favors holding interest rates steady "for some time" amid tariffs-induced upward pressure on inflation. "There are many reasons to think that larger effects of tariffs are still coming," Kugler said in prepared remarks for delivery in Washington, D.C.

The Fed's next policy meeting is set for July 29 to 30. Markets widely expect the FOMC to again hold interest rates steady, according to the CME FedWatch tool. President Donald Trump has consistently called for the Fed to lower rates.

US Treasury yields were down in premarket action, with the two-year rate retreating 2.3 basis points to 3.89% and the 10-year rate declining 1.8 basis points to 4.45%.

American Express ( AXP ) , Charles Schwab ( SCHW ) , 3M ( MMM ) , Truist Financial ( TFC ) and Schlumberger ( SLB ) report their latest financial results before the bell, among others.

Shares of Netflix ( NFLX ) were down 1.6% pre-bell, even though the streaming giant's second-quarter results exceeded market estimates. Interactive Brokers ( IBKR ) rose 4.9% after the brokerage reported better-than-expected second-quarter results, while Talen Energy ( TLN ) climbed 15% as it agreed to acquire two natural gas plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio in a deal with a net value of about $3.5 billion.

Friday's economic calendar has the housing starts and permits data for June at 8:30 am ET, followed by the preliminary University of Michigan consumer sentiment report for July at 10 am. The weekly Baker Hughes domestic oil-and-gas rig count posts at 1 pm.

Government data on Thursday showed that retail sales rebounded more than expected last month amid gains in most categories. Earlier in the week, official data showed that consumer inflation in the world's largest economy accelerated in June at the fastest pace since January, while producer prices remained unchanged for the same month.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil increased 1.1% to $68.29 a barrel before the opening bell. Gold inclined 0.3% to $3,356 per troy ounce, while bitcoin decreased 0.5% to $118,905.