Sentiment continues to be cautious as traders play the “wait-and-watch” game until they see off Friday’s non-farm payroll data. The index futures traded moderately lower early Thursday. The weekly jobless claims data along with the ongoing tensions in the Middle East and the status of the dockworkers strike are among the key focal items for traders. The S&P 500 has gained in all but one month so far this year and the momentum is supporting the market even as it navigates through another air pocket centered this time mainly around geopolitics.
Oil’s extended run could keep energy stocks buoyant and artificial intelligence stalwart Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) traded higher in premarket, while electric-vehicle stocks have decelerated.
Futures
Performance (+/-)
Nasdaq 100
-0.44%
S&P 500
-0.33%
Dow
-0.36%
R2K
-0.67%
In premarket trading on Thursday, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) moved down 0.30% to $567.15 and the Invesco QQQ ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ) slipped 0.39% to $480.09, according to Benzinga Pro data.
Cues From Last Session:
U.S. stocks closed Wednesday’s session marginally higher, as the market overcame early jitters set in motion by a stronger-than-expected private payrolls report and the ongoing headwinds such as the Middle East tensions and dockworkers’ strike. After recouping early losses, the averages moved in a narrow range around the unchanged line before ending slightly higher.
