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Mixed Signals

Stocks on Edge as Payrolls Report Looms

Stock index futures rose before the bell as investors braced for the September nonfarm payrolls report, a key indicator of the labor market's health.

IMIvy Marlowe
Oct 5, 2026 · 1 min read
Stocks Mixed as Investors Await Housing and Labor Data
Acediscovery / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Stock index futures rose before the bell as investors braced for the September nonfarm payrolls report, with futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 rising 0.3%.

  • Stock index futures rose before the bell as investors braced for the September nonfarm payrolls report.
  • Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 rose 0.3%.
  • Nasdaq 100 futures advanced +0.38%.

The Labor Department's September jobs report is the key piece of data to watch on Friday.

Economists forecasting that the economy added 85,000 jobs in September.

While traders pared back their bets for an October rate hike, most still see at least one 25 basis point hike in December.

Fed officials have argued that the central bank has time to assess inflation data before moving.

The ongoing war in the Middle East, now entering its eighth month, has driven much of the inflationary pressures.

Brent crude futures stabilized at around $102 per barrel.

Sources

  • Seekingalpha: Stock futures mixed as investors await housing, and labor data
  • Yahoo: Stock futures climb ahead of PCE inflation data
  • Investing: TSX futures tick higher ahead of U.S. inflation data

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