Traders work on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange on the afternoon of October 3, 2024 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images
U.S. stock futures were flat Thursday night as traders looked ahead to Friday morning’s widely expected September jobs report.
Futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average A loss of 26 points, or less than 0.1%. S&P 500 Index Futures and Nasdaq 100 Futures Not much has changed.
closely watched The port strike also ends The International Longshoremen’s Association and the American Maritime Union reached a tentative agreement on wages Thursday night. The two sides also agreed to extend the existing contract until January to allow more time for further negotiations.
The moves came after major stock indexes ended Thursday’s trading session in the red. 30 stocks Dow Chemical Down 184.93 points, or 0.44% S&P 500 Index down 0.17%. High-tech Nasdaq Index It closed down 0.04% on the day.
U.S. Oil Futures It rose about 5% on Thursday, dragging down major averages. Energy prices have risen One leg up this weekTensions rise in Middle East after Iran incident launch missile attack About Israel.
Investors are awaiting Friday’s September non-farm payrolls report, which will be the next big catalyst for the market. Economists polled by Dow Jones expected nonfarm payrolls to Showing growth of 150,000up from 142,000 in August. The unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 4.2%.
Barbara Doran, founder of BD8 Capital Partners, said Friday’s employment data would only affect the market if it was lower than expected.
“I think tomorrow’s number is important, but I don’t think it’s going to have a big impact and I would be very surprised if it wasn’t a good number,” she told CNBC.Ending bell: overtime“Thursday afternoon.
Rising geopolitical tensions have led to a shaky start for stock markets in October. Dolan added that these headwinds could cause stocks to move lower and end the week in negative territory.
In fact, all three major averages were on track to snap a three-week winning streak. The S&P 500 is down 0.7% so far this week, as is the Dow Jones. The Nasdaq is expected to fall 1.1% in that period.
