(Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures were subdued on Friday following a sharp overnight rally on Wall Street, as investors braced for a crucial labor market report that could determine the Federal Reserve’s interest rate cut path.
The benchmark S&P 500 index closed at a record high on Thursday after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank was “not far” from gaining the confidence that inflation is falling sufficiently to begin cutting interest rates.
Investors awaited the closely watched U.S. jobs report at 8:30 a.m. ET that is likely to show job growth slowed in February after two straight months of robust gains.
Nonfarm payrolls likely increased by 200,000 jobs last month after surging 353,000 in January, according to a Reuters survey of economists.
Also on tap is a report that is expected to show the unemployment rate unchanged at 3.7% for the fourth consecutive month and a marginal slowdown in the increase in annual wages.
Signs of persistent strength in the labor market could make it difficult for the Fed to start cutting interest rates in June as currently envisaged by financial markets.
At 05:00 a.m. ET, Dow e-minis were down 47 points, or 0.12%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 5 points, or 0.1%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 18 points, or 0.1%.
AI darling Nvidia gained 3.2% in premarket trading, outperforming megacap growth and technology peers.
Chip stocks such as Micron Technology and Intel rose more than 1% each.
Broadcom slid 1.6% after the tech company’s full-year forecast failed to impress investors.
Shares of Marvell Technology shed 5.8% after it forecast first-quarter results below market expectations on soft demand in its wireless infrastructure, consumer and enterprise markets.
Gap climbed 6.4% after the retailer beat Wall Street expectations for fourth-quarter results, buoyed by strong demand on improved product offerings at its Old Navy and namesake brands during the holiday season and lower markdowns.
(Reporting by Bansari Mayur Kamdar in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
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