Futures on the New York Stock Exchange were mixed on Thursday as investors analyzed labor data to gauge the potential path forward for interest rates. Contracts listed on the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 0.2% and Nasdaq 100 futures rose by 0.2%. Futures on the S&P 500 remained broadly stagnant.
While investors are preparing to reflect on Thursday’s weekly jobless claims data, it’s the monthly US jobs report due to be released on Friday that will provide the strongest indication of the trajectory of interest rates, particularly since it is the Federal Reserve’s preferred interest rate gauge. The Federal Reserve is set to host its last policy meeting of the year next week.
Oil prices rebounded on Thursday, lifting them slightly from their five-month low realized during the previous session. Both West Texas Intermediate futures and Brent crude futures, the international benchmark price, rose by less than 1%.