U.S. stock futures fell on Friday following Thursday’s negative close. Futures of the major benchmark indices were lower amid the ongoing Iran-US conflict.
Forecasters polled by Bloomberg anticipate the upcoming data will reveal a payroll increase of approximately 55,000, representing a deceleration from the 130,000 jobs added in January. Meanwhile, the jobless rate in the U.S. is expected to hold steady at 4.3%.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.17%, and the two-year bond was at 3.61%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 97.3% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in March.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | -0.31% |
| S&P 500 | -0.41% |
| Nasdaq 100 | -0.49% |
| Russell 2000 | -0.48% |
Stocks In Focus
Costco Wholesale
- Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST) fell 0.23% in premarket on Friday despite reporting better-than-expected financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2026 after the close on Thursday.
- COST maintains a strong price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a poor value ranking, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Marvell Technology
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that MRVL maintains a strong price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a moderate growth ranking.
Gap
- Gap Inc. (NYSE:GAP) tumbled 7.06% after reporting worse-than-expected fourth-quarter financial results and announcing a new $1 billion share repurchase authorization.
- GAP maintains a strong price trend in the long term but a weak trend in the short and medium terms, with a solid value score, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Oracle
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that ORCL maintains a weaker price trend over the short, medium and long terms, with a weak value score.
Ford Motor
- Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) was up 0.081% despite recalling 1.74 million vehicles over a rearview camera defect.
- Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings indicate that F maintains a weak price trend over the short and medium terms but a strong trend in the long term.
Cues From Last Session
Consumer staples, materials, and industrials stocks recording the biggest losses on Thursday led most S&P 500 sectors to close on a negative note. However, energy and information technology stocks bucked the overall market trend, closing the session higher.
Insights From Analysts
Senior Global Market Strategist Scott Wren anticipates a resilient U.S. economy and a broadening stock market throughout 2026. Despite recent volatility triggered by “unexpected events” in the Middle East, Wren advises investors to “look through the headlines, and stick to a well thought out plan.”
He expects market performance to continue expanding beyond mega-cap technology firms, noting that the S&P 500 Equal Weight Index recently hit record highs. Wren has upwardly revised his economic outlook, stating, “We expect the U.S. economy to grow 2.9%, up from the initial 2.4% projection.”
This growth is expected to drive a “fourth consecutive year of record earnings” for the S&P 500. To capitalize on this, he favors sectors like Financials, Industrials, and Utilities, which are positioned to benefit from a strengthening economy and “continued buildout of artificial intelligence (AI) related infrastructure.”
While acknowledging that markets often adopt a “shoot first and ask questions later mentality” regarding geopolitical news, Wren remains focused on a “global economic recovery this year that is led by the United States.”
Upcoming Economic Data
Here’s what investors will be keeping an eye on Friday.
- The February U.S. employment report, including the unemployment rate and hourly wages data, will be released by 8:30 a.m. ET.
- San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly will speak at 10:15 a.m., and Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack will deliver remarks at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Commodities, Crypto, And Global Equity Markets
Crude oil futures were trading higher in the early New York session by 3.76% to hover around $84.06 per barrel.
Gold Spot US Dollar rose 0.37% to hover around $5,099.92 per ounce. Its last record high stood at $5,595.46 per ounce. The U.S. Dollar Index spot was 0.12% higher at the 98.8850 level.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) was trading 2.77% lower at $70,567.62 per coin, as per the last 24 hours.
Asian markets closed mixed on Friday, as Australia’s ASX 200 and India’s Nifty 50 indices fell. China’s CSI 300, Japan’s Nikkei 225, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng, and South Korea’s Kospi indices rose. European markets were also mostly lower in early trade.
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