U.S. stock index futures were little changed during early morning trading on Friday, ahead of the highly anticipated jobs report.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials gained 32 points, or 0.1%, to 34,975.
Futures for the S&P 500 took on three points, or 0.1%, to 4,424.50.
Futures for the NASDAQ Composite Index fell 18.75 points, or 0.1%, to 15,149.
A busy week of earnings continues on Friday with several notable reports, including from Canopy Growth, AMC Networks, Draftkings, Norwegian Cruise Line and Goodyear Tire. Additionally, Berkshire Hathaway is on deck for Saturday morning.
Through Thursday afternoon 427 S&P 500 components have posted quarterly results, with 88% topping earnings estimates, according to data from Refinitiv. When it comes to revenue, 87% have exceeded expectations.
For the week, the Dow is up 0.4%. The S&P clickied 0.8% higher while NASDAQ improved 1.5%.
All eyes are on Friday’s jobs report, which will show how the labour marked fared during July. Economists expect the economy to have added 845,000 jobs last month, according to estimates from Dow Jones. However the broad range of targets — from 350,000 on the low end to 1.2 million at the top — show the uncertainty that’s currently in the market.
Brad McMillan, chief investment officer at Commonwealth Financial Network, noted that the monthly readings this year have ranged from 233,000 in January to 850,000 in June. He said a print below 300,000 could be a cause for concern, while a reading between 300,000 and 400,000 would show a “reasonably healthy” economy.
Overseas, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 index gained 0.3% Friday, while in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index dipped 0.1%,
Oil prices gained 72 cents to $69.81 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices dipped $5.90 to $1,803 U.S. a pound.