Futures and options traders work on the NYSE American (AMEX) floor of the New York Stock Exchange on February 11, 2026 in New York City, USA.
Brendan McDiarmid | Reuters
Futures, which track the Dow Jones Industrial Average, were little changed Wednesday night after the blue-chip index’s three-day winning streak ended.
dow futures It fell 22 points (0.04%). S&P500 futures Although it decreased by 0.06%, Nasdaq 100 futures It fell 0.2%.
Cisco Systems Shares fell 7% in after-hours trading after the maker of network hardware such as switches and routers reported disappointing guidance for the current quarter. mcdonalds Even after the earnings beat, the decline was less than 1%.
The moves come after a lackluster trading day on Wall Street. Dow While there was a difference of more than 66 points or 0.1%; Nasdaq Composite It fell by about 0.2%. of S&P500 It ended the day just a fraction lower.
Stock prices rebounded in response to the strong employment report, then closed lower. The non-farm employment report for January showed a huge 130,000 increase in payrolls last month, far exceeding economists’ expectations and significantly exceeding December’s downwardly revised increase. The unemployment rate fell from 4.4% to 4.3%.
The report was a relief to investors who had been concerned that the labor market would show weakness after a recent trove of data showing slowing growth in a “no hires, no firings” environment.
But the strong jobs report also clouds the Federal Reserve’s interest rate outlook, which could mean fewer rate cuts than traders had expected if high inflation also remains an issue. This highlights the importance of Friday’s consumer price index and could indicate what central banks need to do to better balance their dual responsibilities.
“There’s going to be a lot of weight on Friday’s CPI report, because once it’s quiet, at least the market understands that the inflation part of the Fed’s equation is cooling,” Tom Lee, head of research at Fundstrat Global Advisors, said Wednesday on CNBC’s “Closing Bell.”
“And of course, if the job market is showing some strength right now, that’s kind of reassuring from a macro perspective, because at least we’re not seeing an economic downturn,” Lee continued.
Further data on the labor market is expected to be released Thursday morning, along with the latest weekly unemployment claims numbers. A report on existing home sales will also be released.
Restaurant Brands International is among the companies scheduled to report before Thursday’s opening.
