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- US stock futures and the dollar edged up ahead of key March payrolls report.
- Trading was thinned out due to public holidays in most major markets.
- Economists expect non-farm payrolls to have risen by the most in six months in March.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
US stock futures and the dollar rose on Friday, ahead of a key report on unemployment that will shed further light on the resilience of the economic recovery, although trading volumes were light on account of the swathe of public holidays around the world.
Futures on the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 rose between 0.1 and 0.4%, suggesting the benchmark indices could see more record highs when they reopen on Monday.
On Thursday, the S&P 500 scorched past 4,000 points for the first time after data showed a sharp rebound in manufacturing activity in March and following President Joe Biden's unveiling of an infrastructure spending plan worth $2 trillion.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish its nonfarm payrolls report for March on Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET, providing the most detailed look at how hiring fared throughout last month. The backdrop is promising. March had warmer weather, and a faster rate of vaccinations led some states to partially reopen for the first time since the winter's dire surge in cases. Coronavirus case counts started to swing higher at the end of the month but largely stayed at lower levels.
Democrats' $1.9 trillion stimulus plan was also approved early last month and unleashed a wave of consumer demand and aid for small businesses. Sentiment gauges surged to one-year highs, and Americans strapped in for a return to pre-pandemic norms.
Consensus estimates suggest March had the strongest payroll gains in six months. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg said they expected nonfarm payrolls to climb by 660,000, which would be nearly double the 379,000 gain seen in February. The unemployment rate is forecast to dip to 6% from 6.2%.
"We believe a vaccine- and reopening-related rebound in labor force participation is likely to start this month, and this could limit the magnitude of the decline in the jobless rate," Goldman Sachs led by Jay Hatzuis said in a note.
US 10-year Treasury yields held steady around 1.67%, having hit 1.776% last week, their highest in almost 15 months. Bond yields have risen steadily this year, as prices have fallen, in line with a growing conviction among investors that economic recovery is picking up, which will reignite inflation.
The combination of accelerating growth and inflation makes it less attractive to own government bonds.
The dollar meanwhile traded fairly steadily against a basket of major currencies. The dollar index was last down 0.1% on the day, but still holding close to its highest in five months.
"Friday's highly-anticipated non-farm payrolls report comes out at a bit of an awkward time; for the first time in six years, the April jobs report falls on the Good Friday holiday, meaning that many major markets will be closed," CityIndex strategist Matt Weller said in a note on Thursday.
"As a result, readers who are at their desks trading the FX or bond markets may see less liquidity than usual and the post-release move may peter out sooner than usual as traders who are watching the markets look to duck out early to enjoy a long holiday weekend," Weller said.
Bitcoin nudged at $60,000 for the first time in two weeks, as risk appetite pushed investors into more volatile assets. It was last up 1.2% around $59,540, having gained over 8% in the last week.
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