New York City – Stock futures hovered near unchanged levels on Thursday night as investors eagerly awaited the release of key payrolls data. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down by only 21 points, representing less than a 0.1% change. Similarly, S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq 100 futures both saw a slight decrease of about 0.1% each.

Following the closing bell, several companies reported strong quarterly results, leading to significant increases in their stock prices. Ulta Beauty saw a 12% surge after exceeding earnings and revenue expectations for the fiscal third quarter. GitLab and Docusign also experienced gains of 7% and 14%, respectively, due to their positive quarterly performance.

Investors are now turning their attention to Friday’s jobs report, which is expected to provide valuable insight into the health of the domestic labor market. Economists are anticipating an increase of 214,000 nonfarm payrolls in November, a substantial improvement from the previous month’s gain of only 12,000.

“With market expectations for a solid rebound in payrolls, an even stronger print above expectations could lead the Federal Reserve to reconsider the pace of rate cutting next year,” noted Charlie Ripley, senior investment strategist at Allianz Investment Management.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell has previously emphasized that there is no urgency for policymakers to lower rates, given the ongoing strength of the U.S. economy. Stocks ended Thursday’s session on a lower note, retreating from record highs set in the previous session.

Week to date, the S&P 500 has gained 0.7%, while the Nasdaq Composite has seen a 2.5% increase. On the other hand, the Dow has experienced a 0.3% decline during this period, reflecting the ongoing fluctuations in the market. Investors will be closely monitoring the upcoming job report for further clues on the direction of the economy and potential implications for the Federal Reserve’s upcoming rate decisions.