It’s jobs Friday and this one really matters.
Investors are showing signs of nerves ahead of the U.S. employment report, which could determine the timing of the first interest rate rise in a decade and shake markets around the world.
U.S. stock futures are falling, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq and S&P all nearly 1% lower. Global markets were also weaker.
Here are the five things you need to know before the opening bell rings in New York:
1. Economics — U.S. jobs report: The labor department is putting out its highly anticipated employment data at 8:30 a.m. ET. It’s the last major piece of economic data likely to impact whether the Fed raises interest rates later this month. A strong jobs report could encourage the Fed to go ahead. The International Monetary Fund wants the U.S. to wait.
A CNNMoney survey of economists predicted 207,000 new jobs were created in August. The unemployment rate is expected to fall to 5.2% from 5.3% in July, while year-over-year wage growth is forecast to remain flat at 2.1%.
2. Stock market movers — Netflix, Apple, Facebook: Investors are on edge and this nervousness is weighing on individual stocks. Netflix is the biggest loser in premarket trading, down 2.7%. Apple, one of the most heavily traded stocks of recent days, is 1.3% lower, while Facebook lost 0.8% in premarket trading.
3. More bad news from Europe: The European Central Bank on Thursday cut its forecasts for eurozone GDP growth this year and next, pointing the finger squarely at falling demand from China and other emerging economies. The ECB said it could increase its money printing program — and that sent the euro sharply lower. It recovered slightly Friday to trade 0.3% firmer against the dollar.
4. International markets overview: European markets are all lower in early trading. Germany’s DAX is down 1.4%, while the FTSE 100 in London is 1% lower.
Asian markets ended the session down. Chinese markets remain closed until Monday due to holiday.
Oil edged 1% down on Friday morning, trading at $46 per barrel. Oil prices have been very volatile in recent months, forcing some of the world’s biggest oil producers, such as Russia and Venezuela, to call for more cooperation in order to stabilize the market.
5. Thursday market recap: Volatility took a breath yesterday. The Dow Jones industrial average changed by just 23 points closing 0.1% higher. The S&P 500 also added 0.1%, and the Nasdaq had the biggest change, dropping 0.4%.
