Stocks are poised to move lower by modest margins on Friday, as traders are digesting a largely disappointing December payrolls report. The major index futures are all in negative territory, with the Dow futures down by 22 points.
The U.S. Labor Department reported that non-farm payrolls declined by 85,000 in December, while economists expected the figure to be around the break-even mark, with the consensus generally calling for a decline of 10,000.
Meanwhile, results for November were revised higher, with the latest statistics now showing a gain in jobs for the month of 4,000. When data was originally released last month, November was estimated to have seen a decline of 11,000.
Today's report also showed that the unemployment rate for December came in at 10.0 percent, unchanged from the previous month.
Also on the economic front today, the Commerce Department will release its wholesale inventories report for November, expected to show that inventories declined by 0.3 percent in the month following a 0.3 percent climb in October. The report will be made public at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Traders may also look to a series of speeches from Federal Reserve officials for their latest outlook on economic recovery, which may indicate the proximity of an interest rate hike.
Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren will be speaking at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association's annual economic summit at 10:15 a.m. ET, while Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart and Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker will be speaking at separate functions this afternoon.
In earnings news, educational service firm Apollo Group Inc. (APOL) reported a first quarter net income of $1.47 per share, edging out the Wall Street estimate of $1.46. Revenues were also able to top forecasts, coming in at $1.27 billion compared to the $1.23 billion anticipated by analysts.
Lawson Software Inc. (LWSN) reported a second quarter EPS of $0.09, which matched the consensus estimate, while revenues were also able to best estimates.
Stocks were generally able to eke out modest gains at the close of another lackluster session on Thursday, as traders were unwilling to make significant moves ahead of today's monthly jobs data.
The Dow gained 33.18 points or 0.3 percent to close at 10,606.86, the S&P 500 rose by 4.54 points or 0.4 percent, while the Nasdaq fell by 1.04 points or 0.1 percent to end at 2,300.05.
Crude oil futures have moved lower, falling $0.25 to $82.41 a barrel after dropping by $0.52 to $82.66 a barrel on Thursday. Gold futures, which slipped by $2.80 in the previous session to $1,133.70 an ounce, are currently down by $11.90 at $1,121.80 an ounce.
On the currency front, the U.S. dollar is lower against the major European currencies, falling to $1.4356 against the euro and dropping to $1.6046 versus the pound. The buck is also down against the Japanese yen, currently trading at 92.67 yen.
In overseas trading, nearly all stock markets across the Asia-Pacific region closed on the upside on Friday. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index rose by 1.1 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained by 0.1 percent.
The major European markets are on the upside. The French CAC 40 Index and the German DAX Index are up by 0.6 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 is up by less than a tenth of a percent.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.