U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Thursday as stronger jobs growth and a fall in unemployement rate eased concerns over the economy, while markets awaited inflation data and corporate earnings.
Traders dialed back bets on interest-rate cuts following the data. At least one cut is still expected in June, but chances of the central bank holding rates steady have risen to almost 40 per cent from 24.8 per cent, according to CME Group’s FedWatch tool.
The next big economic indicator will be Friday’s Consumer Price Index inflation report for January, while weekly U.S. jobless claims figures is due later in the day.
Wall Street indexes ended on a muted note in previous session as investor sentiment took a hit from a drop in rate-cut expectations.
At 04:58 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis were up 174 points, or 0.35 per cent, S&P 500 E-minis were up 22.75 points, or 0.33 per centand Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 67 points, or 0.26 per cent.
Corporate earnings continued to draw investor attention. Some notable results before the bell include Restaurant Brands , Birkenstock, Howmet Aerospace and Exelon
AI-driven disruption has weighed on companies likely to be impacted with markets quick to punish sectors they deem would face competition.
Software shares continued their slide on Wednesday after a rebound for three sessions, while brokerage firms posted losses.
AppLovin shares dropped 4.8 per cent after fourth-quarter results. The marketing platform has lost nearly a third of its value in the first six weeks of the year amid increasing competition.
Cisco shares fell 8 per cent in premarket trading after the networking equipment provider posted quarterly adjusted gross margin below expectations.
Markets will also closely listen to comments from Bank of Dallas President Lorie Logan and Governor Stephen Miran.
On the trade front, the U.S. and China may extend their trade truce for up to a year with President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping expected to meet in Beijing in early April, according to a report from the South China Morning Post.
The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly backed a measure disapproving Trump’s tariffs on Canada, with lawmakers voting in favor of a resolution to terminate use of a national emergency to put punitive trade measures on Canadian goods.
Among other movers, Applied Materials shares dropped 1 per cent after the U.S. Department of Commerce announced a $252 million settlement with the firm for illegally exporting chipmaking equipment to China.
World shares were mostly higher Thursday and benchmarks in Japan and South Korea reached new records after Wall Street wobbled following a better-than-expected U.S. job report.
U.S. futures edged higher. The future for the S&P 500 rose 0.3 per cent, while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.4 per cent.
In Europe, Britain’s FTSE gained 0.3 per cent to 10,502.20 in early trading. Germany’s DAX was up 1.3 per cent to 25,169.49, while the CAC 40 in Paris gained 1 per cent to 8,398.82.
Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 surpassed the 58,000 mark early in the session as trading resumed after a holiday. However, it gave up those gains, edging just 10 points lower to 57,639.84.
Japanese shares have rallied following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s landslide victory in a parliamentary election on Sunday, as investors expect more policies to help spur economic growth.
South Korea’s Kospi breached the 5,500 mark for the first time, driven by gains for technology-related stocks. It was up 3.1 per cent at 5,522.27.
Samsung Electronics, South Korea’s biggest listed company, rose 6.4 per cent. Chipmaker SK Hynix added 3.3 per cent.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.9 per cent to 27,032.54. The Shanghai Composite index edged less than 0.1 per cent higher to 4,134.02.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 picked up 0.3 per cent to 9,043.50.
In other dealings Thursday, U.S. benchmark crude oil lost 15 cents to $64.48 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 16 cents to $69.24 per barrel.
Gold and silver prices fell on Thursday. The price of gold was down 0.1 per cent to $5,093.60 per ounce, and the price of silver fell 0.5 per cent to about $83.50 an ounce.
The U.S. dollar fell to 152.84 Japanese yen from 153.27 yen. The euro rose to $1.1888 from $1.1873.
Reuters and The Associated Press