US benchmark equity indexes ended up Friday as President Donald Trump said his administration was close to striking a trade deal with Japan.

* The US is "very close to a deal" on tariffs with Japan, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Trump. "Trade deals are going very well," he said.

The White House has recently softened its tone on China. Beijing is considering exempting some American imports from a 125% tariffs rate, Bloomberg News reported.

* US consumer sentiment waned for the fourth straight month in April as uncertainty around tariffs eroded expectations and pushed the year-ahead inflation outlook to the highest since 1981, according to a survey by the University of Michigan.

* West Texas Intermediate crude oil for June delivery closed up $0.36 to settle at $63.15 a barrel, while global benchmark Brent was last seen up $0.39 to $66.94 despite rising supplies and an uncertain outlook for the global economy.

* Charter Communications' (CHTR) Q1 revenue unexpectedly rose, aided by a double-digit gain in mobile service. The shares jumped 11%.

* Intel (INTC) shares fell 6.7%, a day after the chipmaker issued a downbeat Q2 outlook.