A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Gain; Jobs Report In Focus

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. Data on nonfarm payrolls and unemployment rate for December will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, while wholesale inventories report for November is schedule for release at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 63 points to 28,992 while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures traded rose 8.6 points to 3,284.50. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 36.25 points to 9,045.25.

Oil prices traded mostly flat as Brent crude futures rose 0.1% to trade at $65.38 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures fell 0.1% to trade at $59.49 a barrel. The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week is schedule for release at 1:00 p.m. ET.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were mostly higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.1%, STOXX Europe 600 Index climbing 0.1% and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.2%. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.1%, while French CAC 40 Index slipped 0.1%.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.47%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index gained 0.27%, China’s Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.08% and India’s BSE Sensex rose 0.36%.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at KeyBanc downgraded KB Home KBH from Overweight to Sector Weight.

KB Home shares fell 2.1% to $36.30 in pre-market trading.

Breaking News

• Ideaya Biosciences Inc IDYA reported a collaboration with Boston Children's Hospital for preclinical evaluation of IDE196 for Sturge Weber syndrome.
• SYNNEX Corporation SNX reported upbeat results for its fourth quarter and announced plans to separate into two publicly traded companies. The company also issued Q1 earnings guidance above analyst estimates.
• PriceSmart, Inc. PSMT reported better-than-expected earnings for its first quarter, while sales missed views.
• Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings Inc SPWH lowered its guidance for FY19. The company also issued weak forecast for the fourth quarter.