Wall Street Poised To Open In Negative Zone

The monthly jobs report might be the highlight of Friday’s economic announcements. The Consumer Sentiment for December also might get attention.

Early trends on the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open lower.
Asian shares finished mostly up, while European shares are trading higher.

As of 6.50 am ET, the Dow futures were down 16.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were declining 3.50 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were sliding 33.75 points.

The U.S. major averages finished higher on Thursday. The Nasdaq jumped 193.28 points or 1.4 percent to 14,339.99, reaching its best closing level in over four months. The S&P 500 also advanced 36.25 points or 0.8 percent to 4,585.59, while the narrower Dow posted a more modest gain, edging up 62.95 points or 0.2 percent to 36,117.38.

On the economic front, the Employment Situation for November will be released at 8.30 am ET. The non-farm payrolls consensus is 180,000, while it was up 150,000. The unemployment rate is expected to increase 3.9 percent, while it was up 3.9 percent in October. The consensus for private payrolls is 150,000, while it was up 99,000 in the previous month. The Manufacturing payroll is projected to increase by 35000, while it was down 35,000.

The Consumer Sentiment for December will be published at 10.00 am ET. The consensus is up 61.9, while in November it was up 61.3 percent.

The Baker Hughes Rig Count for the week will be released at 1.00 pm ET. In the prior week, the North America rig count was 817 and the U.S. rig count was 625.

Asian stocks ended Friday’s session. Chinese shares edged up.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite index edged up 0.11 percent to 2,969.56 while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index ended marginally lower at 16,334.37 after a choppy session.

Japanese shares fell for a second straight session. Japan’s third-quarter GDP was revised downward in a surprise move.

The Nikkei average fell 1.68 percent to 32,307.86, dragged down by exporters such as automakers. The broader Topix index settled 1.50 percent lower at 2,324.47.

Australian markets eked out modest gains. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 inched up 0.30 percent to 7,194.90 while the broader All Ordinaries index closed up 0.28 percent at 7,405.60.

European shares are trading positive. Among the major indexes in the region, the CAC 40 Index of France is progressing 61.16 points or 0.82 percent. The German DAX is adding 45.74 points or 0.27 percent, the U.K. FTSE 100 Index is gaining 26.32 points or 0.35 percent.

The Swiss Market Index is climbing 35.11 points or 0.32 percent.

The Euro Stoxx 50 Index, which is a compilation of 50 blue chip stocks across the euro area, is up 0.57 percent.

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