The biggest economic report of the month will be released Friday morning before the opening bell rings.
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Nonfarm payrolls are expected to climb by 192,000 according to economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
That would be an improvement over the March report where 103,000 jobs were added to payrolls. That fell short of the 193,000 jobs that economists expected.
Dow Jones futures were lower by 0.18%. The S&P 500 fell 0.17% and the Nasdaq Composite was off 0.26%.
The Dow clawed back to post a modest gain Thursday after earlier slumping almost 400 points to its midday low.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 5.17 points, or 0.02%, to 23,930.15. The S&P 500 ticked 5.94 points lower to 2,629.73. The Nasdaq Composite fell 12.75 points, or 0.18%, to 7,088.15.
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| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | %Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I:DJI | DOW JONES AVERAGES | 23930.15 | +5.17 | +0.02% |
| SP500 | S&P 500 | 2629.73 | -5.94 | -0.23% |
| I:COMP | NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX | 7088.1509 | -12.75 | -0.18% |
Stocks recorded large swings during the session amid uncertainty over the outcome of trade talks between the U.S. and China. The U.S. sent a large delegation to Beijing, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, to begin negotiations over Chinese business practices among other issues. The first round of talks is scheduled to conclude Friday.
Investors were also evaluating economic data, including reports on the U.S. trade deficit, which narrowed as exports hit a record high, and worker productivity, which increased modestly in the first quarter.
In Asia, China’s Shanghai Composite Index was lower by lost 0.1%.
In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index slipped 0.4%.
Japan’s markets were closed on Friday for the Greenery Day holiday.
FOX Business’ Leia Klingel and Matthew Rocco contributed to this article.
