U.S. stocks are headed for a higher open, with futures up in pre-market activity. At 6:40 a.m. ET, futures tied to the broad S&P 500 index rose 0.66%, while blue-chip Dow futures jumped 0.44%. Tech-heavy Nasdaq futures gained 0.

Concerns are rife that U.S. President Donald Trump's unpredictable tariff threats could stall investment and tip the world's largest economy into a period of high inflation and slowing growth. U.S. tariffs on metal imports were met with immediate retaliation from Canada and the European Union and Trump has also hinted at reciprocal tariffs in early April.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Friday, signaling a pause from a week-long selloff triggered by fears of a growth slowdown due to the Trump administration's erratic trade policies, while gold stocks surged as the precious metal breached the $3,