Stock market today: US futures edge higher as investors gear up for key jobs report

US stock futures climbed on Friday as investors braced for a key monthly jobs report, with the Middle East crisis and a return to work at US ports also in high focus.

S&P 500 futures (ES=F) put on 0.3%, while Dow Jones Industrial Average futures (YM=F) added roughly 0.2%. Contracts on the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) moved 0.4% higher.

Investors are marking time for the release of the September jobs report, expected to provide further evidence the labor market is cooling but not collapsing. A rapid weakening could prompt the Federal Reserve to once again lower interest rates by an outsized 0.5% in November.

Friday’s report, set for release at 8:30 a.m. ET, is expected to show nonfarm payrolls rose by 150,000. But Wall Street is likely to focus less on hiring and more on the unemployment rate, where a gain could boost bets on a larger rate cut.

Read more: What the Fed rate cut means for bank accounts, CDs, loans, and credit cards

While stocks are on track for weekly losses, the markets have shown some resilience in the face of a rough week of worrying headlines. The major gauges were off 1% or less as of Thursday’s close, with the S&P 500 and Dow still within striking distance of record highs.

In recent days, a huge ports strike, devastation from Hurricane Helene, and the prospect of a wider Mideast conflict brought the potential to lift prices and fan inflation. That in turn cast doubt on the Fed’s preferred 0.25% rate cut.

In a welcome move, the US dockworkers strike ended after a tentative wage deal was agreed late Thursday, though some issues remain to be settled by later this year.

On the downside, a barrage of strikes by Israel on Beirut kept alive the Mideast worries that have driven up oil prices. Western leaders warned about “uncontrollable escalation” as investors waited to see whether Israel will attack Iran’s oil facilities — a move President Biden said is under discussion.

Oil is on track for its biggest weekly gain in two years as tensions mount. Brent crude (BZ=F) and West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) futures rose over 1% on Friday morning, coming off a 5% gain the previous day.