Stocks were headed for gains early Thursday ahead of jobs numbers that could give the market a better sense of how the U.S. economy is faring.
Futures tracking the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 47 points, or 0.1%. S&P 500 futures also added 0.1%, while contracts tied to the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 rose 0.2%. Both gauges closed at record highs Wednesday, powered higher by enthusiasm about President Donald Trump’s trade deal with Vietnam.
The blue-chip indexes were ticking up as investors waited for the June nonfarm payrolls report, due out at 8.30 a.m. Eastern time. Economists are expecting the report to show 115,000 jobs added, according to a FactSet poll, which would mark a slowdown from May’s 139,000.
