U.S. Market Futures Higher Ahead of August Jobs Report

U.S. stock futures are higher in pre-market trading for Friday, September 2. The Dow Futures are at 18415.0 for a gain of 20.00 points. The S&P 500 Futures are at 2168.5 for a gain of 1.25 points. The Nasdaq Futures are at 4785.75 for a gain of 8.25 points. The Russell Futures are at 1240.3 for a gain of 1.90 points.

In overnight trading in the Eastern Hemisphere, Japan’s Nikkei 225 is at 16925.68 for a loss of -1.16 points or -0.01 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index is at 23266.70 for a gain of 104.36 points or 0.45 percent. China’s Shanghai Composite Index is at 3067.35 for a gain of 4.05 points or 0.13 percent. India’s S&P BSE Sensex is at 28532.11 for a gain of 108.63 points or 0.38 percent. In Europe, the FTSE 100 is at 6823.12 for a gain of 77.15 points or 1.14 percent. Germany’s DAX is at 10563.61 for a gain of 29.30 points or 0.28 percent. France’s CAC 40 is at 4485.06 for a gain of 45.39 points or 1.02 percent. The Stoxx Europe 600 is at 345.93 for a gain of 2.27 points or 0.66 percent.

Friday’s Factors and Events

The main focus on Friday will be the Employment Situation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report is a key indicator of the economy’s health and will also be influential in the Federal Reserve’s timing and aggressiveness for near-term rate increases. The consensus is for an increase in payrolls of 175,000 and a decrease in the unemployment rate to 4.8 percent. Last month’s report included an increase in payrolls of 255,000 and an unemployment rate at 4.9 percent.

Other reports on the calendar for Friday include International Trade, Factory Orders and the Baker Hughes Rig Count.

In pre-market trading the following stocks are trading actively:

Church & Dwight Co

Mosaic Co

Tesoro Corp

Endo International

Kohls

Carnival Corp

Expedia Inc

Alliance Data System

Cimarex Energy Co

Royal Caribbean Cruises

Stocks on watch Friday include HPE. The company split from its partner HP Inc. a year ago and the enterprise focused business is seeking a buyer for its Autonomy software unit. The company will also report earnings next week on September 7.

Thursday’s Activity

Stocks were mixed Thursday. For the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 18419.30 for a gain of 18.42 points or 0.10 percent. The S&P 500 was down, closing at 2170.86 for a loss of -0.09 points or -0.01 percent. The Nasdaq Composite closed higher at 5227.21 for a gain of 13.99 points or 0.27 percent.

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Source: DJIA, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite. Google Finance.

Other notable index closes included the small-cap Russell 2000 Index, higher at 1240.17 for a gain of 0.26 points or 0.02 percent; the S&P 600 Small-Cap Index, higher at 753.11 for a gain of 0.04 points or 0.01 percent; the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index at 1563.58 for a loss of -1.18 points or -0.08 percent; the S&P 100 Index at 960.24 for a gain of 0.16 points or 0.02 percent; the Russell 3000 Index at 1284.75 for a gain of 0.27 points or 0.02 percent; the Russell 1000 Index at 1203.30 for a gain of 0.25 points or 0.02 percent; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index at 613.56 for a loss of -1.25 points or -0.20 percent.