US stock futures inched higher on Wednesday after the major indexes ended mixed in the prior session, as investors positioned themselves ahead of the delayed January jobs report. Economists expect the economy to have added 70,000 jobs last month, following a 50,000 increase in December, with the unemployment rate projected to remain unchanged at 4.4%. A weaker-than-expected reading could curb risk appetite, especially after Tuesday’s retail sales data unexpectedly stalled, highlighting mounting pressure on lower- and middle-income consumers.
In Tuesday’s regular session, the Dow rose 0.1% to notch another record close, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite declined 0.33% and 0.59%, respectively. Technology stocks led the pullback, with chipmakers and memory manufacturers underperforming. Financial shares also retreated after tech platform Altruist unveiled a new AI-powered tax-planning tool, intensifying competitive pressure on traditional financial services firms.
