Investors were feeling a little calmer on Friday as solid results from Google parent Alphabet helped ease ongoing worries about trade tensions between China and the U.S. The Cboe Volatility Index, a widely followed fear gauge that tracks S&P 500 options contracts and trades under the ticker VIX,

U.S. stock index futures slipped on Friday as uncertainty remained high on the U.S.-China trade front despite signs of a possible softening in Beijing's stance. Meanwhile, shares of Google-parent Alphabet leapt 4.