US equity futures were relatively flat ahead of Friday's opening bell as traders awaited fresh cues after fresh record closes for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up 0.1%, S&P 500 futures were also 0.1% higher, while Nasdaq futures were flat.

Traders also digested recent remarks from President Donald Trump about downplaying tensions with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. During a visit to the Fed's headquarters on Thursday, Trump reportedly indicated he was not considering removing Powell from his position.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.3% at $69.39 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.3% higher at $66.24 per barrel.

The Durable Goods Orders bulletin, released at 8:30 am ET, showed a 9.3% monthly fall in new orders for durable goods in June following a 16.5% rise in the prior month, compared with estimates compiled by Bloomberg for a 10.7% decrease.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 0.9% lower, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 1.1% lower, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.3% lower. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 was down 0.4% and Germany's DAX index was down 0.7% in Europe's early afternoon.

In equities, Aon (AON) stock was 3% higher after the company posted higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue. Coursera (COUR) shares were 23% higher after the company reported late Thursday higher Q2 adjusted earnings and revenue in addition to lifting its 2025 outlook.

On the losing side, Absci (ABSI) shares were more than 16% lower after the company said late Thursday it priced a roughly $50 million stock offering.