(Updates with economic data, recent oil price movement, world markets' overview and corporate stock movements.)
US equity futures were mixed pre-bell Friday as traders parsed the employment report for August for a view on how the labor market is faring.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were 0.3% lower, S&P 500 futures were down 0.3%, and Nasdaq futures were 0.1% higher.
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller told Reuters Thursday he is leaning toward keeping interest rates steady at the central bank's September meeting if upcoming inflation data shows that price pressures are continuing to moderate. However, he added, "If inflation comes in hot, I would consider a rate hike."
The EU has formally joined US-led economic sanctions on Iran. In a post on X, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, "The world is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime: We will not stop until every remaining financial lifeline has been severed."
Oil prices were lower, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude down 0.7% at $94.89 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude 0.9% lower at $90.48 per barrel.
The August national unemployment rate was reported at 4.1%, unchanged from the prior month and meeting expectations according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.
In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 1.3% higher, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 1.7% higher, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.3% lower. Meanwhile, the UK's FTSE 100 was flat, and Germany's DAX index was 0.4% higher in Europe's early afternoon session.
In equities, Tesla (TSLA) shares dropped 3.1% after the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that the company's Cybercab is under investigation over the process used to claim compliance with federal vehicle safety standards. BHP Group (BHP) stock was down 1.8% after the company said it was aware of recent media speculation regarding a potential partnership involving part of its Western Australia Iron Ore business. Lululemon Athletica (LULU) shares fell more than 20% after the company reported late Thursday a decline in its fiscal Q2 results and cut its full-year outlook.
On the winning side, Nvidia (NVDA) shares rose 1.1% after a CNBC report that the company has increased its equity investments more than ten-fold in the past year to $99 billion as of July 26. United Microelectronics (UMC) stock was up 2.3% after the company reported sales of 25.04 billion New Taiwan dollars ($790.6 million) in August, up 30.71% from a year earlier.
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