Investing.com – U.S. futures rose on Friday as investors wait for what is expected to be an upbeat jobs day.
The S&P 500 futures inched forward two and a half points or 0.10% as of 6:55 AM ET (10:55 AM GMT) while Dow futures surged 49 points or 0.21%. Tech heavy Nasdaq 100 futures increased 23 points or 0.37%.
In economic news, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday that initial jobless claims fell 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 229,000 for the week ended October 28, less than economist had expected. An upbeat nonfarm payrolls is expected at 8:30 AM ET (12:30 PM GMT) on Friday
Markets were also bolstered by United States President Donald Trump nominating Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell as the chair of the U.S. central bank. Powell’s monetary stance is similar to that of current Fed Chair Janet Yellen.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) was among the biggest gainers in pre-market trading, rising 3.03% as its iPhone X launched. Automotive firmFiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (NYSE:FCAU) was up 3.08% despite reporting a sales decline in the third quarter. Pharmaceutical firm Teva Pharma Industries Ltd ADR (NYSE:TEVA)rallied 1.69% after falling 20% on Thursday.
Among the biggest losers before the morning was Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX), which fell 2.48% after its earnings results missed analysts’ expectations. Bank Santander (MC:SAN) was down 1.48% while insurance giant American International Group Inc (NYSE:AIG) slumped 4.28% after it reported a quarterly loss.
In Europe, stocks were mixed. Germany’s DAX rose 33 points or 0.25% while in France the CAC 40 gained three points or 0.07% and in London, the FTSE 100 increased 21 points or 0.28%. Meanwhile the pan-European Euro Stoxx 50 inched forward two points or 0.08% while Spain’s IBEX 35 slumped 129 points or 1.24%.
In commodities, gold futures fell 0.14% to $1,276.27 a troy ounce while crude oil futures rose 0.61% to $54.87 a barrel. The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, inched forward 0.05% to 94.67.