08:01 AM EDT, 09/06/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were lower pre-bell Friday as traders looked ahead to the pivotal monthly jobs report.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 0.4%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.6%, and Nasdaq futures were down 1%.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.4% at $72.97 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude up 0.4% at $69.41 per barrel.

Nonfarm payrolls, scheduled for release at 8:30 am ET, are seen rising by 164,000 in August following July's 114,000 growth, while the unemployment rate is seen dropping by 10 basis points to 4.2%, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg.