Inventory futures are barely larger as traders anticipate extra job information

Traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Source: NYSE

Futures contracts, which are linked to major US stock indices, were slightly higher in Thursday morning trading as Wall Street appeared to be improving after a mixed week.

Dow futures rose 58 points while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures traded in slightly positive territory.

Movements in the futures markets came after a mostly lower regular session on Wednesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 323.73 points, or 0.9%, to close near its daily low at 34,792.67. The S&P 500 lost about 0.5% to close at 4,402.66 while the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.1% to 14,780.53.

On Thursday, investors will receive another update on the US employment situation with the latest weekly update from the Department of Labor on initial jobless claims. Recent earnings and economic data have been strong overall, but some economists fear economic growth and employment gains will slow down from here.

“Many factors are likely to be responsible for the labor shortage; Concerns about contagion with the virus, childcare obligations, skill imbalances and generous unemployment insurance benefits, “PNC senior economist Abbey Omodunbi said in an email. In the second half of the year, “increased competition for labor, particularly in the leisure and hospitality sectors, will help accelerate wage growth and boost household incomes and consumer spending”.

The results of an ADP private payroll released Wednesday showed 330,000 jobs growth for July, well below the consensus estimate of 653,000. The Department of Labor’s official job report, which usually has more of an impact on investors, will be released on Friday.

The US 10-year Treasury yield was flat 1.18% on Wednesday evening after falling just below 1.13% at the start of the session.

Roku and Uber shares fell in expanded trading after each quarterly results were released. Etsy had fainted double-digit in after-hours trading after the company issued an outlook for the current quarter suggesting the pandemic-fueled trading boom may be coming to an end.

Robinhood’s shares rose 50% during Wednesday’s regular trading and continued a volatile rise after last week’s sluggish IPO. Semiconductor stocks were another bright spot, with Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices rising.