U.S. stock futures wavered early Wednesday, as the latest jobs data exacerbated concerns about the economy and appeared to pull attention away from hopes of a compromise on President Donald Trump’s controversial tariffs. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose just 8 points, sitting slightly above. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures added 0.1% and 0.3%, respectively. Stock futures took a leg up overnight after Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said he expected an announcement on an agreement with Canada and Mexico. Lutnick added on Wednesday morning that Trump was considering sectors of the economy such to give relief to on the taxes. Trump said a “little disturbance” from his levies on the two countries, along with China, was OK during a Tuesday night address to Congress. Those updates have boosted stocks like automakers in Wednesday’s premarket that were hard hit due to concerns about rising costs for their materials. But those gains largely evaporated on Wednesday morning after the ADP’s private payroll report showed far less job growth in February than predicted by economists polled by Dow Jones. That release added to a growing stack of data points that have raised alarm that the U.S. economy is slowing down. Trump’s tariffs — and subsequent announcements of retaliatory plans from China, Mexico and Canada — have rocked markets this week. The tech-heavy Nasdaq on Tuesday came within striking distance of correction territory, a term that refers to an index falling 10% from a recent peak. With Tuesday’s declines, the S&P 500 had officially wiped out its gains since it closed on Election Day in November. “The thing that we have emphasized over and over again is that Trump introduces uncertainty,” said Michael Green, chief strategist at Simplify Asset Management. “We now are at a point where a single tweet or a single release of information can significantly change the interpretation of what markets look like.” U.S. Treasury yields were higher on Wednesday as investors considered the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, along with new data on U.S. private payrolls. At 8:18 a.m. ET, the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield was more than 2 basis points higher at 4.236%. The 2-year Treasury yield was down 2 basis points, giving up an earlier gain, at 3.937%. Asia-Pacific markets were mostly higher Wednesday as investors assessed China growth and inflation targets amid U.S. tariffs and escalating global trade tensions weighing down sentiment. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.70% to close at 8,141.1. Australia’s economy expanded 1.3% year on year in the fourth quarter, beating expectations of 1.2% from economists polled by Reuters. Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.23% to close at 37,418.24 while the Topix climbed 0.30% to end the trading day at 2,718.21. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.16% to close at 2,558.13 while the small-cap Kosdaq advanced 1.23% to 746.95. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index added 2.8%, while mainland China’s CSI 300 rose 0.45% to close at 3,902.57. Oil prices declined for a third session on Wednesday, as investors worried about OPEC+ plans to proceed with output increases in April, and U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico escalated trade tensions. Brent futures fell 45 cents, or 0.63%, to $70.59 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude declined 74 cents, or 1.08%, to $67.52 a barrel. In the previous session, the contracts settled near multi-month lows, weighed down by expectations the U.S. tariffs and counter-tariffs by the affected countries will slow economic growth and reduce fuel demand. Gold prices edged higher on Wednesday, aided by a weaker U.S. dollar and political uncertainty following the latest import tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump. Spot gold firmed 0.1% $2,918.83 an ounce after rising nearly 1% on Tuesday. Prices hit a record high of $2,956.15 on February 24 and have gained 11% so far this year. U.S. gold futures rose 0.3% to $2,929.70. “Uncertainty is food and water for gold and hence the bias on prices is to the upside,” independent analyst Ross Norman said. “Gold looks content to consolidate after recent gains, but with one eye firmly on the $3,000 level.” The dollar index dropped to a three-month low, making bullion more appealing to other currency holders.