U.S. stock index futures extended their losses on Friday after non-farm payroll numbers rose at a solid clip in July, signaling an improving economy that could open the door wider to a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in September.
Futures for the S&P 500 slipped 0.3 percent to 2,073, while those for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.3 percent to 17,321. Nasdaq-100 futures also were 0.4 percent lower at 4,509.
Non-farm payrolls increased 215,000 last month, below the 223,000 that economists polled by Reuters had expected. However, wages rebounded after a surprise stall in the prior month.
The Fed has said it will raise rates only when it sees a sustained recovery in the economy. A hike in rates, which have stayed near zero for nearly a decade, will increase borrowing costs for companies, crimping profits.
MOVERS:
Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) advanced 8.5 percent premarket after the chipmaker reported a surprise rise in second-quarter revenue.
JD.com (NASDAQ:JD) gained 2.9 percent ahead of the bell after China's second largest e-commerce site by sales reported a 61 percent year-on-year rise in second quarter revenues, topping expectations.
Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN) sank 5.3 percent after the daily-deals company reported that its adjusted quarterly matched forecasts.
Hershey (NYSE:HSY) may be active after the chocolate maker posted a second-quarter loss, though adjusted quarterly earnings topped estimates.
Cablevision Systems (NYSE:CVC) inched up 0.1 percent after delivering profit that topped expectations, while revenue matched estimates.
Transocean (NYSE:RIG) slipped 1.7 percent after a 12 percent jump, the most since October 2008, following the offshore driller’s better-than-estimated earnings.
OTHER MARKETS:
European stocks were mostly lower today, but on pace for a weekly gain. Chinese stocks closed higher, while falling bank shares led to steep losses in Australian equities.
COMMODITIES:
Spot gold was up 0.2 percent at $1,090.61 an ounce. The metal fell as low as $1,077 on July 24, its weakest since February 2010. U.S. gold for December delivery was unchanged at $1,090.20 an ounce.
Brent fell below the key $50-a-barrel mark earlier in the week, a level not seen since January. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate futures were trading at $44.76 a barrel, up 0.1 percent from Thursday’s settlement.