U.S. stock futures were rising on Friday as the market neared the end of the first half of the year. Before celebrations of a blistering six months, key inflation data lie in the day ahead that could shift the needle on interest-rate expectations. S&P 500 futures advanced 0.3% with contracts tracking the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite up 0.4%.
Global shares gained Friday as traders looked ahead to a key report on inflation that could influence the Federal Reserve's next move on interest rates. In Asia, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.6% to finish at 39,583.08. In Japan, the government reported industrial production was stronger than forecast in May at 2.8% and the unemployment rate was unchanged from the previous month at 2.6%.