US pre-open: Futures cautiously higher ahead of February NFP report
By Iain Gilbert
Date: Friday 07 Mar 2025
(Sharecast News) - Wall Street futures were in the green ahead of the bell on Friday as investors looked ahead to last month's non-farm payrolls report.
As of 1230 GMT, Dow Jones futures were up 0.18%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 0.31% and 0.45% firmer, respectively.
The Dow closed 427.51 points lower on Thursday after Donald Trump's latest trade concessions failed to calm the market.
Friday's primary focus will February's non-farm payrolls report at 1330 GMT, with economists expecting to see jobs growth of 170,000 last month, while the unemployment rate was expected to be unchanged at 4%.
Trade Nation's David Morrison said: "US stock index futures were little- changed in early trade this morning, but with a slight positive bias. This will come as a relief to many, given this week's sharp declines. But investors shouldn't get too carried away by any pause in the sell-off. Traders are putting aside the tariff brouhaha that has dominated the headlines of late, and are sitting on their hands ahead of today's key Non-Farm Payroll release.
"With the US growth outlook coming under severe scrutiny, the recent wobble in confidence, and some labour market updates, is cause for concern. Yesterday's weekly Unemployment Claims came in comfortably below expectations, effectively cancelling out last week's big jump. But Wednesday's ADP Payroll number was unexpectedly weak. Consequently, all eyes turn towards the NFP release this afternoon. The consensus forecast is for a monthly increase of around 160,000. But the number is famously volatile, and there have been significant overshoots, and undershoots, to expectations over the last few months."
Elsewhere on the macro front, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell will deliver a speech at 1730 GMT, while January consumer credit change figures will be published at 2000 GMT.
In the corporate space, fast food outfit Jack in the Box traded higher on the back of Q1 earnings that came in ahead of analyst expectations, while shares in embattled server maker Super Micro Computer surged after it finally submitted its long-awaited financials.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com
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