07:36 AM EDT, 05/01/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The benchmark US stock measures were tracking in the green before the opening bell Thursday as investors parse better-than-expected earnings of Microsoft ( MSFT ) and Meta Platforms ( META ) and await the latest results from Apple ( AAPL ) and Amazon.com ( AMZN ) .

The S&P 500 increased 1.1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.8% and the Nasdaq added 1.8% in premarket activity. The S&P 500 and the Dow closed the previous trading session higher, recording gains for the seventh day in a row, while the Nasdaq finished lower.

Shares of Microsoft ( MSFT ) jumped 8.6% pre-bell as the technology giant reported stronger-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results amid growing demand for its cloud offerings. Meta Platforms ( META ) advanced 6.2% as the Facebook parent's first-quarter results exceeded market estimates.

Qualcomm's ( QCOM ) shares fell 5.2% following the semiconductor manufacturer's quarterly results. Tesla (TSLA) was up 1.1% after Chair Robyn Denholm reportedly denied recent media speculation that the electric-vehicle maker's board was seeking to replace Chief Executive Elon Musk.

Apple ( AAPL ) and Amazon ( AMZN ) are scheduled to announce their latest financial statements after the markets close, along with Amgen ( AMGN ) , Stryker (SYK) and Airbnb ( ABNB ) . Eli Lilly ( LLY ) , Mastercard ( MA ) , McDonald's (MCD), CVS Health ( CVS ) , Roblox ( RBLX ) , Hershey (HSY), Kellanova ( K ) and Estee Lauder ( EL ) are among the major companies reporting earnings before the bell.

The Trump administration has reached out to China to begin discussions on tariffs, Bloomberg News reported Thursday, citing a state-run media outlet. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly said earlier in the week that "it's up to China to de-escalate" trade tensions between the two countries.

US Treasury yields were down in premarket action, with the two-year rate falling 2.1 basis points to 3.6% and the 10-year rate decreasing 2.8 basis points to 4.15%.

Government data on Wednesday showed that US real gross domestic product decreased at an annual rate of 0.3% in the March quarter, representing the first drop since the first quarter of 2022. Personal consumption expenditures rose more than expected in March, while the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation metric cooled down annually.

Wells Fargo Investment Institute said Wednesday it continues to expect the world's largest economy to "skirt a recession" this year.

On Thursday's economic calendar, the Challenger Job Cut report for April is out at 7:30 am ET, followed by the weekly jobless claims bulletin. The Purchasing Managers' Manufacturing Index's final reading and the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index, both for April, are also due today.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil slipped nearly 3% to $56.47 a barrel before the open. Commercial crude stockpiles in the US dropped more than projected last week, the Energy Information Administration said Wednesday. The weekly EIA natural-gas supplies report posts at 10:30 am.

Bitcoin inclined 2.4% to $96,296, while gold fell 2.9% to $3,223 per troy ounce.