Traders work at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, USA, September 28, 2026. Brendan McDermid | ReutersStock futures rose slightly early on Friday as traders awaited the release of the September jobs report. S&P 500 futures rose 0.26%, while futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 125 points, or 0.24%. Nasdaq-100 futures advanced 0.42%. In the regular trading day, the Dow Jones and Nasdaq Composite ended the session slightly higher. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% to conclude the first trading day of October. All three indices are on track for weekly losses, with the Dow Jones losing 1.7% for the period. Asia-Pacific stocks mostly fell on Friday. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.95%, after gaining strongly on Thursday. South Korea’s Kospi lost 1%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index lost 2.48% after resuming trading after a holiday. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.35%. Treasury yields rose to multi-year highs before retreating. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note soared to 5.344%, its highest level since 2002. The yield on the 30-year Treasury note also hit its highest level in 24 years. Oil prices also rose after The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States is sending a third aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. Brent crude futures gained more than 4% to settle at $102.31 per barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 2.7% to settle at $92.87 per barrel. The September nonfarm payrolls report will be in the spotlight on Friday, with the Dow Jones consensus calling for job growth of 84,000 and unemployment holding steady at 4.1%. Federal Reserve. Fed funds futures trading suggests a 72% chance the central bank will hold steady in October. Since the current narrative suggests the labor market is stable, a strong jobs report alone probably wouldn’t prompt the Fed to raise rates in October, said Christopher Hodge, chief U.S. economist at Natixis CIB Americas. Hodge expects growth in the manufacturing and construction sector amid data center construction. “We expect payrolls to slow from August’s blistering pace, but still post solid gains. We expect payrolls to increase by 60,000, which, if realized, would take the three-month moving average of earnings to 81,000,” Hodge said.
