04:07 PM EDT, 10/17/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity indexes were higher on Friday as concerns surrounding bad loans by certain banks and US-China trade tensions eased.

* President Donald Trump told Fox Business that a 100% tariff on Chinese goods in response to Beijing's restrictions on rare earth exports would be unsustainable. He also confirmed plans to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month.

* The CBOE Volatility Index, also known as the fear gauge, dropped 6.1% to 23.74.

* November West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose $0.13 to settle at $57.59 per barrel, while December Brent crude, the global benchmark, was last seen up $0.27 to $61.33.

* American Express ( AXP ) raised the lower end of its full-year forecast after reporting Q3 earnings that exceeded analysts' expectations, driven by increased spending from card members. Shares rose about 7.5%, making it the biggest gainer on the Dow and the second-strongest performer on the S&P 500.

* Oracle (ORCL) shares dropped 7.5%, making it the biggest decliner on the S&P 500, after the company projected $225 billion in revenue by fiscal 2030 and its E-Business Suite application was breached at American Airlines ( AAL ) unit Envoy Air.

Price: 346.43, Change: +23.31, Percent Change: +7.21