Futures on the Nasdaq exhibited minimal variation. On Thursday, following a sequence where the three major equities indexes experienced an increase for the seventh time in eight sessions, weak private-sector employment data reinforced traders’ expectations that the Federal Reserve is likely to reduce interest rates at its upcoming meeting next week. Futures linked to the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average, the benchmark S&P 500, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq were all fluctuating within approximately 0.1% of the neutral line. The indexes concluded the day with respective gains of 0.9%, 0.3%, and 0.2% on Wednesday, as the Dow increased by over 400 points.

Yesterday, the ADP employment reading for November revealed a decline in private payrolls by 32,000 last month, contrasting with the anticipated increase of 40,000 jobs. The report represented the final monthly jobs data available to the Federal Reserve prior to its interest rate meeting. Reports indicates a nearly 90% probability that the Federal Reserve will reduce rates by a quarter-percentage point, as investors closely anticipate the PCE inflation data to be released tomorrow. Bitcoin was trading around 93,000, exhibiting minimal change on the day but demonstrating a significant recovery after experiencing its most substantial decline since March on Monday, when it concluded below 85,500. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note increased to 4.08% from 4.06% at Wednesday’s close, while the U.S. dollar index declined slightly to 98.77.

WTI crude futures, the U.S. oil benchmark, increased by 0.5% to $59.25 per barrel, whereas gold futures declined to $4,225 per ounce. In corporate news, shares of Salesforce rose nearly 2% in premarket trading after the software giant late Wednesday posted better-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its outlook on the back of growth from its data products and AI offerings. In other post-earnings stock movements, shares of UiPath experienced an increase of 8%; Five Below saw a rise of 4.5%; Hormel gained 4%; Dollar General progressed by 2%; while Snowflake faced a decline of 8%. Kroger was also slated to report results before the bell.

Elsewhere, shares of Meta Platforms rose modestly following the EU’s announcement of an antitrust probe into the Facebook and Instagram parent’s new WhatsApp AI policy. The other Magnificent Seven large-cap technology stocks experienced modest gains, with the exception of Apple, whose shares declined slightly.