09:14 AM EDT, 09/26/2025 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures turned higher ahead of Friday's opening bell as investors digested the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of US inflation.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up 0.5%, S&P 500 futures were 0.3% higher, and Nasdaq futures were up 0.3%.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.5% at $68.92 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.7% higher at $65.44 per barrel.

The August Personal Income and Outlays report, released at 8:30 am ET, showed the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, gained 0.3% from a month earlier, in line with estimates compiled by Bloomberg, while the core measure gained 0.2% as expected.

The University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index, due at 10 am ET, is expected to come in at 55.4 for the final September reading.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 0.9% lower, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 1.4% lower, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.7% lower. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 was up 0.5%, Germany's DAX index was 0.8% higher, France's CAC 40 was up 0.9% and Spain's IBEX 35 was up 1.1% in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, Concentrix ( CNXC ) shares were 18% lower after the company reported late Thursday lower fiscal Q3 non-GAAP earnings and cut its fiscal 2025 adjusted EPS guidance.

On the winning side, Medirom Healthcare Technologies ( MRM ) stock was up around 204% after the company said late Thursday it plans to expand the installation of its Orb authentication device in Japan.