Stock futures rose Friday as traders bet an increase in the U.S. unemployment rate could keep the Federal Reserve from tightening policy. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 172 points, or 0.5%. S&P 500 futures rose 0.6%, while Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 0.6%. The latest U.S. nonfarm payrolls report showed the unemployment rate ticked higher to 3.8% in August, reaching its highest level in more than a year. Meanwhile, average hourly earnings increased less than expected. Jobs, however, grew at a faster-than-expected pace last month, with 187,000 being added versus the 170,000 forecast by Dow Jones. Treasury yields declined after the report, as investors increased bets that the Fed would keep rates at current levels. The 2-year Treasury yield dropped 7 basis points to 4.79%, and the benchmark 10-year yield dipped 2 basis points to 4.075%. Following the release, the CME Group’s FedWatch tool showed traders have priced in a 91% chance of the Fed holding rates at current levels at its policy meeting later this month. Investors also pored over fresh earnings reports. Database software maker MongoDB and Dell Technologies advanced 4% and 11%, respectively, in extended trading on the back of stronger-than-expected earnings reports. Shares of athletic apparel retailer Lululemon Athletica added 2% after crushing Wall Street’s estimates. Asia-Pacific markets largely traded higher as China’s factory activity for August expanded and the central bank announced a cut in reserve requirements to boost the economy. Chinese stocks traded higher after China’s factory activity expanded in August, surprising on the upside, according to a private-sector survey. The CSI 300 was up 0.7%, while the Shanghai Composite traded higher by 0.43% and the Shenzhen Component rose 0.44%. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.37%, snapping a four-day winning streak to end at 7,278.3 on Friday. South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.29% and closed at 2,563.71, while the Kosdaq declined 0.93% to end at 919.74. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 was up 0.28% to close at 32,710.62, while the Topix climbed 0.76% to finish at 2,349.75. Hong Kong’s financial markets, schools and most businesses were closed Friday as the Asian financial hub braced for Super Typhoon Saola. Singapore’s financial markets will be closed today as the country heads to the polls to vote for its ninth president. Oil prices were set to snap a two-week losing streak as they rose for a fourth consecutive session on Friday due to tightening supplies and expectations that the OPEC+ group of oil producers would extend output cuts to the end of the year. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) was up 81 cents, or 1%, at $84.45 a barrel, while Brent crude was up 82 cents, or 0.9%, at $87.65 a barrel. WTI has risen over 5% during the week, while Brent was up about 3%. Gold prices rose on Friday and were set for a second consecutive weekly gain, helped by diminished chances of U.S. interest rate hikes this year after a data-filled week that concludes with the pivotal jobs report later in the day. Spot gold climbed 0.2% to $1,943.46 per ounce and was poised for a more than 1.4% weekly gain after prices touched one-month highs on Wednesday. U.S. gold futures were up 0.2% at $1,970.60.
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