U.S. stock index futures steady

S&P 500 Futures rose 0.1% higher to 6,966.0 points, Nasdaq 100 Futures traded flat at 25,690.75 points, while Dow Jones Futures edged up 0.1% to 49,537.0 points

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Thursday night after stock market closed mixed and largely directionless session, as investors stayed cautious ahead of a key jobs report due on Friday.

S&P 500 Futures rose 0.1% higher to 6,966.0 points, while Nasdaq 100 Futures traded flat at 25,690.75 points by 00:33 GMT. Dow Jones Futures edged up 0.1% to 49,537.0 points.

In regular trading on Thursday, the S&P 500 finished near flat, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained nearly 0.6%. The NASDAQ Composite dropped 0.4%, weighed down by declines in heavyweight technology and semiconductor stocks.

The uneven performance reflected a rotation within the market rather than a broad shift in risk appetite.

Nvidia dropped more than 2%, while Broadcom and Intel shares shed more than 3%. Other big technology names, including Microsoft and Apple, also ended lower.

By contrast, defence and aerospace stocks gained after the country’s president called for a sharply higher military budget of around $1.5 trillion.

The proposal boosted expectations of higher government spending on defence programs, lifting shares of major contractors. Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and RTX Corp all posted gains.

Investors are cautious ahead of Friday’s U.S. nonfarm payrolls report, a key indicator for assessing the strength of the labour market and the central bank’s interest rate outlook.

Markets are currently pricing in two more 25-basis-point rate cuts in 2026.

Investors are also positioning ahead of the upcoming earnings season, which is expected to provide further insight into corporate health amid still-elevated borrowing costs and slowing global growth.