Stock index futures were higher on Friday following Wall Street’s rally on Thursday, while traders turned to comments from Federal Reserve officials for clues on the central bank’s rate path.
Here are the five news items investors should watch:
F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia: The State Department approved a potential $24.3B sale of 48 Lockheed Martin 
LMT F-35 Lightning II aircraft to Saudi Arabia, along with 49 Pratt & Whitney F135-PW-100 engines and related equipment. The deal still requires congressional approval and would strengthen Saudi Arabia’s air defense and interoperability with U.S. and allied forces.
China tariff decision may slip: The U.S. could postpone announcing new tariffs on China and other countries until after President Donald Trump meets Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, Bloomberg reported. A previously planned trade report was expected to recommend a 7.5% tariff on Chinese goods, while the final rate could potentially exceed the 20% level agreed during earlier talks.
Nvidia targets chip volume growth: Nvidia 
NVDA CEO Jensen Huang said the company expects to sell roughly twice as many chips next year as this year as demand for AI infrastructure expands. Huang said customers across industries and countries are continuing to invest in AI, highlighting the potential for further growth in Nvidia’s chip demand.
CXMT expands into NAND memory: China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies is preparing to enter the NAND flash-memory market as AI infrastructure drives demand across the global memory industry. Reuters reported that CXMT plans an R&D production line at its new Beijing plant and has established a research institute in the city, broadening its focus beyond DRAM.
OpenAI adds SpaceX sales executive: OpenAI 
OPENAI has hired Brian McCarthy from SpaceX 
SPCX as vice president of worldwide sales, Fortune reported. McCarthy joined SpaceX through its acquisition of Cursor, where he led global revenue and field operations, and previously held senior sales roles at Rubrik 
RBRK, ThoughtSpot, AppDynamics and Qlik.
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