By JIANG JUNZHE and MATT OTT, Associated Press

Wall Street was poised to open with gains Friday after China’s Commerce Ministry said Beijing is evaluating overtures from the U.S. regarding President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Futures for the S&P 500 gained 0.3% before the bell and were on track for a ninth straight day of gains. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.4% and Nasdaq futures ticked up 0.2%.

Exxon Mobil’s reported its lowest first-quarter profit in years, stung by weaker crude prices and higher costs. Its shares ticked up less than 1% before markets opened Friday.

Shares in rival Chevron fell more than 2% after it also reported its smallest first quarter profit in years.

A barrel of U.S. benchmark crude fell below $60 this week, a level at which many producers can no longer turn a profit. On Friday, a barrel of U.S. crude fell another 66 cents to $58.58. Brent crude, the European standard, declined 64 cents to $61.49 per barrel.

Energy prices mostly have been in decline since Trump’s inauguration in January, with the cost of a barrel of oil sliding as much as $20. At this time last year, a barrel of U.S. crude cost $78.

Uncertainty about the impact of Trump’s on-again-off-again tariff announcements has consumers and businesses feeling anxious about the future. Rapidly falling oil prices signal pessimism about economic growth and can be a harbinger of a recession as manufacturers cut production, businesses cut travel costs and families rethink vacation plans.

Late Thursday, technology behemoths Amazon and Apple reported their latest results. Shares of Apple fell about 3% overnight after the iPhone company beat Wall Street expectations but forecast an additional $900 million to its costs in the current quarter as a result of the tariffs, if they remain in place as announced.

Amazon shares fell close to 1% after the online retailer reported better-than-expected results but also said that tariffs were clouding its near-term forecast.

Friday the government released its April jobs report showing that American employers added a better-than-expected 177,000 jobs.

Economists expected the U.S. Labor Department to report that employers added 135,000 jobs last month. That’s a healthy number, but it would be down sharply from the surprisingly strong 228,000 jobs added in March.

Many economists worry the job market could deteriorate with Trump’s massive taxes on imports to the U.S. likely to raise costs for Americans and American businesses, which could result in slower economic growth.

However, hopes that Trump may eventually roll back some of his tariffs after reaching trade deals with other countries has helped to support markets this week. On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose 0.6% for an eighth straight gain, its longest winning streak since August.

In Europe at midday, Germany’s DAX advanced 1.5%, the CAC 40 in Paris climbed 1.3% and Britain’s FTSE 100 was 0.7%.

In Asian trading, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 1.7% to 22,504.68 while markets in Shanghai were closed for a public holiday. Taiwan’s benchmark jumped 2.7%.

An unnamed Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson was cited as saying that Beijing had taken note of various statements by senior U.S. officials indicating a willingness to negotiate over tariffs.

“At the same time, the U.S. has recently taken the initiative to convey information to the Chinese side on a number of occasions through relevant parties, hoping to talk with the Chinese side. In this regard, the Chinese side is making an assessment,” it said.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 picked up 1% to 36,830.69.

Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato drew attention by mentioning that the country’s more than $1.1 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds could potentially be a “card on the table” in negotiations with Washington over Trump’s steep tariffs on autos and other imports.

Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.1% to 2,558.84 and Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 1.1%, closing at 8,238.00.