07:32 AM EST, 03/08/2024 (MT Newswires) -- The benchmark US stock measures were mostly pointing modestly higher before Friday's opening bell, as traders await the national employment situation report for February.

Standard & Poor's 500 futures and the Nasdaq edged up 0.1% each, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 0.1% in the premarket. Asian exchanges were tracking in the green, while European bourses were mostly trending north.

The jobs report for February will post at 8:30 am ET. Government data are expected to show nonfarm payroll growth of 200,000 last month, which would mark a decline from a 353,000 gain reported from January, according to a consensus compiled by Bloomberg.

Also on Friday's economic calendar is the weekly Baker Hughes domestic oil-and-gas rig count at 1 pm. Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams is scheduled to speak at 7 am.

Broadcom (AVGO) shares decreased 2.5% pre-bell even though the chipmaker reported stronger-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results. Costco Wholesale (COST) dropped 4.6% as the warehouse chain's fiscal second-quarter total revenue fell short of market estimates. Marvell Technology's (MRVL) stock fell 5.7% while DocuSign (DOCU) jumped roughly 10%.

Algonquin Power & Utilities (AQN) plans to report earnings before the bell, among others.

Before the open, bitcoin traded down 0.5% at $67,500, West Texas Intermediate crude oil moved 0.5% lower to $78.53 a barrel, yields on 10-year Treasuries declined nearly 2 basis points to 4.07% and gold rose 0.5% to $2,176 an ounce.