Wall Street futures were largely unchanged on Friday, as investors caught their breath after record closes for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq and looked for clarity on U.S. trade talks before the August 1 tariff deadline.

Beaten-down stocks such as Kohl’s, Krispy Kreme and Opendoor Technologies have taken off recently, as individual investors pile into heavily shorted equities. The stocks’ cult followings and their outsized gains mirror the performance of GameStop and AMC Entertainment during the original pandemic-era meme-stock frenzy.

You can invest in stocks through a full-service brokerage, financial technology company, robo-adviser or retirement account, all of which have pros and cons.

Computer-driven hedge funds like Qube and Point72's Cubist have posted losses. Executives and experts have theories on why.

The sudden return of meme-stock trading may look like risk appetite returning, but it also reflects a kind of market optimism that often appears at unhealthy inflection points. When price action becomes unanchored from fundamentals, volatility usually follows.

Intel stock falls after the chip maker reports a wider loss in the second quarter, while Centene rises even as it posts a surprise quarterly loss.

Investor enthusiasm faded for the latest meme stocks on Wednesday, with shares in heavily shorted Krispy Kreme and GoPro closing well below their session highs, while Tuesday's investor darling - department store Kohl's - finished sharply lower.

Global shares have rallied, with Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index finishing 3.5% higher after Japan and the U.S. announced a deal on President Donald Trump's tariffs.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 208 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.2% to its own record set the day before. Edwards Lifesciences rose 5.5% after likewise topping Wall Street’s expectations for profit in the latest quarter.

Meme stock mania returns as market shifts to AI giants. Explore dividend growth picks, tariff concerns, and Iron Mountain's data center potential. See more here.