financetom
Market
financetom
/
Market
/
US STOCKS-US stocks set for higher open as surprise payrolls fall cools rate-hike bets
News World Market Environment Technology Personal Finance Politics Retail Business Economy Cryptocurrency Forex Stocks Market Commodities
US STOCKS-US stocks set for higher open as surprise payrolls fall cools rate-hike bets
Aug 7, 2026 6:15 AM

* Futures rise: Dow 0.31%, S&P 0.53%, Nasdaq 1.16%

* Atlassian ( TEAM ) surges after Q4 profit, revenue beat

* S&P 500, Dow set for best weekly showing since April

* July nonfarm payrolls at -23,000 versus +80,000 estimate

(Updates before markets open)

By Johann M Cherian and Shashwat Chauhan

Aug 7 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes were set to

open higher on Friday after data showed the U.S. economy

unexpectedly shed jobs last month, raising doubts about a

September interest-rate hike by the Federal Reserve.

A Labor Department report showed nonfarm payrolls fell

23,000 in July, far below the 80,000 job additions that

economists polled by Reuters were expecting.

Unemployment stood at 4.1% in July, easing from 4.2% in

June. Average earnings on an annual basis rose 3.2% in July,

compared with the 3.5% economists expected.

"Even with a negative job print, the job market remains

healthy. But it gives the Fed some room to pause in September,"

said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise

Financial.

"It has seemed like the Fed is pressing more on the

inflation front, but today's numbers may reframe that

conversation and put the labor side of the mandate in focus."

Money market data showed traders pared back expectations for

an interest-rate hike in September, with odds of an increase now

at about 20%, from 55% before the report, according to data

compiled by LSEG.

Under new Chair Kevin Warsh, the U.S. central bank has

offered investors little information on forward guidance

regarding monetary policy, sharpening the focus on economic data

and commentary from policymakers.

At 08:46 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis rose 168 points, or

0.31%, S&P 500 E-minis added 41 points, or 0.53%, and

Nasdaq 100 E-minis gained 342.75 points, or 1.16%.

Collaboration software maker Atlassian ( TEAM ) jumped 32.5%

in premarket trading while chip company Microchip Tech ( MCHP )

advanced 10.3% after both forecast quarterly revenue above

estimates.

The results also lifted broader sectors, with chip stocks

Marvell ( MRVL ) and Micron up 3.9% and 3.2%,

respectively. Software stocks also rose; Palo Alto

gained 2.3% and ServiceNow ( NOW ) added 3.5%.

Cybersecurity company Cloudflare ( NET ) gained 15.5% after

raising its full-year revenue forecast above estimates.

The main U.S. indexes were headed for strong weekly gains,

with the S&P 500 and the Dow on track for their best week since

April and the Nasdaq set for its biggest advance since May, if

gains hold.

Better-than-expected results from AI-related companies this

earnings season have propelled the Dow and the S&P 500 to fresh

record highs, while helping the Nasdaq recover from a pullback

that had briefly pushed it nearly 10% below its previous peak.

In a move to support domestic production, the White House

imposed a series of price floors and a 15% tariff on products

made from polysilicon, the raw material used in semiconductors

and solar panels that is primarily produced by China.

Solar stocks also gained. First Solar ( FSLR ) was up 5% and

SolarEdge ( SEDG ) climbed 2.1% following U.S. President Donald

Trump's trade actions to challenge Beijing's polysilicon

monopoly.

Vacation rental company Airbnb ( ABNB ) gained 7% after

beating second-quarter revenue estimates, while Trade Desk ( TTD )

dropped 29.2% after the ad-tech firm forecast

third-quarter revenue below expectations.

Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions flared after Yemen's

Iran-aligned Houthis attacked Saudi Arabia, while a report said

Iran was reviewing a preliminary bill that would bar U.S.,

Israeli and other "hostile" vessels from transiting the Strait

of Hormuz as well as impose fines of up to 20% of a ship's cargo

value for violations.

Comments
Welcome to financetom comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Related Articles >
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.financetom.com All Rights Reserved