US stock futures were little changed on Friday as investors cautiously awaited the September jobs report, expected to offer fresh insight into the strength of the labor market and help shape expectations for Federal Reserve policy. Still, markets now demand a higher bar for a strong report to meaningfully increase the odds of a rate hike this month, with traders assigning roughly a 75% probability that the Fed will leave rates unchanged.
Investors were also monitoring geopolitical risks as the US weighed sending another aircraft carrier and additional troops to the Middle East, a move that could intensify tensions with Iran and further disrupt regional energy supplies.
In corporate news, Anthropic is reportedly considering going public as soon as mid-November. During Thursday’s regular session, the S&P 500 rose 0.19%, while both the Dow and the Nasdaq Composite inched up 0.04% as Treasury yields pulled back from multi-decade highs.
