There’s a cautious tone on Wall Street as investors await the monthly U.S. jobs report.
Here are the four things you need to know before the opening bell rings in New York:
1. Jobs jobs jobs: The all-important April jobs report is due at 8:30 a.m. ET, and it often affects market sentiment.
Economists surveyed by CNNMoney predict about 197,000 new jobs were added last month. Anything below 200,000 would be a bit of a disappointment. For comparison purposes, the economy added 215,000 new jobs in March.
CNNMoney’s survey also predicts the unemployment rate will stay level at 5%.
2. Global stock market overview: U.S. stock futures are not making any major moves ahead of the open.
European markets are mostly slipping lower in early trading. Most Asian markets ended the day in the red.
This follows a relatively lackluster week in the stock markets.
The Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all shot up on Monday but have been heading lower ever since.
3. Earnings: It’s been an exciting earnings season so far and a few more companies are reporting results on Friday.
Berkshire Hathaway — the massive conglomerate run by famed investor Warren Buffett — is the main company that investors will be watching after the close.
ArcelorMittal, Exelon and Gogo are some of the other key companies reporting before the opening bell.
4. Takata slumps again: Shares in Takata dropped by 8.5% Friday after the Japanese company was forced to recall an additional 35 to 40 million airbags due to explosion risks. This more than doubles the size of what was already the largest recall in history.
The news came out earlier in the week but investors in Japan couldn’t react immediately as the markets were closed for an extended holiday.
