Stock Futures Slip Ahead of Jobs Data

U.S. stock futures dropped at the end of a downbeat week for major indexes and ahead of a monthly update on the job market.

Futures on the S&P 500 slipped 0.4% and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures declined 0.4%. The contracts don't necessarily predict market moves after the markets open.

Europe stocks fell Friday for a two-day losing streak. The Stoxx Europe 600 lost 0.8% in morning trade dragged down by declines in communication services and information technology sectors.

The U.K.'s FTSE 100, which is dominated by large international businesses, shed 0.8%. Other stock indexes in Europe also mostly fell as France's CAC 40 was down 0.9%, the U.K.'s FTSE 250 fell 0.6% and Germany's DAX shed 0.8%.

The Swiss franc, the euro and the British pound slipped 0.2%, 0.3% and 0.3% respectively against the U.S. dollar.

In commodities, international benchmark Brent crude strengthened 1.4% to $67.66 a barrel. Gold was down 0.6% to $1,690.60 a troy ounce.

German 10-year bund yields rose to minus 0.303% and the yield on U.K. 10-year gilts gained to 0.753%. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield ticked up to 1.551% from 1.547%. Bond yields move inversely to prices.

In Asia, indexes mostly fell as Hong Kong's Hang Seng was mostly flat, losing 0.1%, Japan's Nikkei 225 index was lower 0.2%, and China's benchmark Shanghai Composite was broadly flat between minus 1% and 0.6%.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 05, 2021 04:07 ET (09:07 GMT)

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