Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on August 24, 2026 in New York City, USA.
Brendan McDiarmid | Reuters
Stock futures were mixed early Friday morning as traders awaited a big August jobs report.
futures linked to Dow Jones Industrial Average The stock was down 0.06% as of 5:50 a.m. ET. S&P500 futures Add 0.04%, Nasdaq 100 futures It was 0.4% higher.
The average of the three major stocks rose in regular trading on Thursday. 30 shares Dow It rose more than 600 points (1.2%), marking its best day since August 4. S&P500 rose more than 1%, but Nasdaq Composite It advanced by 1.4%.
U.S. stocks received a tailwind as U.S. Treasury yields fell after Federal Reserve Board member Christopher Waller said at the central bank’s Sept. 15-16 meeting that there was a “tendency” to support keeping interest rates in their current target range of 3.5% to 3.75%.
Traders this week are focusing on the August jobs report, which will be released Friday morning, as the next market trigger. Nonfarm payrolls are expected to increase by 53,000 people last month, pushing the unemployment rate to 4.1%, according to a survey of economists from Dow Jones. This compares to 23,000 jobs lost in July.
“In our view, there appears to be significant hawkishness already priced in, especially given the fact that there are signs of moderation in economic activity, particularly in the US,” Barclays strategists said in a note Friday morning. “As a result, while further Fed rate hikes are our base case, today’s jobs report and next week’s CPI release will be critical. We think any meaningful downside surprise could still change the market’s policy expectations.”
Stocks are on pace for a strong week. The S&P 500 is on pace to gain 0.5% and the Nasdaq is on pace to gain 0.7%. The Dow is on track to rise 0.2%.
In Asia, Korean Kospi It rose 1.64% on Friday, while Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 1.26%. Mainland China’s CSI300 index ended the day slightly lower at 4,548.05. Hang Seng Index The stock was up 1.82% in the last hour of trading.
European stocks are mixed, pan-European stocks also Stocks 600 Index trading was marginally higher on Friday, with major regional stock exchanges trading in mixed territory.
