US STOCKS-S&P, Nasdaq futures rise ahead of inflation data; Applied Materials surges

Futures tracking the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq gained on Friday as investors looked forward to a producer inflation report for more cues on the timing of interest rate cuts, while shares of Applied Materials surged following an upbeat revenue forecast. Wall Street's main indexes have recovered after a setback earlier in the week following a hotter-than-expected consumer prices report. January's slump in U.S. retail sales has revived optimism about rate cuts from the Federal Reserve in the first half of the year.