Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures rise ahead of key jobs report as oil steadies

Grace O'DonnellFri, October 2, 2026 at 8:06 AM UTC

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The Labor Department's September jobs report, oil prices, and bond yields were the key things to watch on Friday in markets.

US stock futures climbed on Friday morning as investors awaited important jobs data that's expected to show a continuation of the "low hire, low fire" economy.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F) and S&P 500 (ES=F) rose 0.3%, while contracts on the Nasdaq-100 (NQ=F) 0.6%.

The Labor Department's September jobs report is the key piece of data to watch on Friday after August's report blew away expectations. Hiring is expected to have returned to a more normal pace of growth last month, with economists forecasting that the economy added 85,000 jobs in September.

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It would likely take a big surprise in the jobs data to sway bets that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates this year, given the run-up in Treasury yields over the past month. While traders pared back their bets for an October rate hike, most still see at least one 25 basis point hike in December.

Fed officials, in recent days, have argued that the central bank has time to assess inflation data before moving, though they agree that inflation remains too high.

The ongoing war in the Middle East, now entering its eighth month, has driven much of the inflationary pressures. President Trump has said he's considering resuming bombing Iran after the midterm elections but has also said he's looking for a resolution of the war at that time. On Thursday, the US reportedly sent an additional aircraft carrier and 10,000 sailors and Marines to the Persian Gulf, Bloomberg reported.

Brent crude futures (BZ=F), the global benchmark, stabilized at around $102 per barrel.

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Source: “AOL Money”