Nasdaq Futures Surge as Markets Eye Crucial Jobs Report

Nasdaq futures rose by 135 points to 0.4% in early trading on Friday, outperforming other US stock indices.

This comes after a rally on Thursday when Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller signaled that he could support holding rates steady this month if inflation continues to cool down.

The August jobs report is the main event today, with economists expecting nonfarm payrolls to rise by about 53,000 after a decline in July. A weak print would reinforce concerns about hiring momentum and potentially make a September rate increase harder to justify.

Nasdaq futures leading the premarket move also matters for investors using ETF platforms to track broad US equity benchmarks, particularly technology-heavy funds. Friday's data will determine whether this week's recovery develops into another push towards records or fades as bond yields rise again.