08:57 AM EDT, 06/07/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were cautiously lower ahead of Friday's opening bell as traders digested the pivotal monthly jobs report.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 0.3%, S&P 500 futures declined 0.3%, while Nasdaq futures were down 0.2%.

Nonfarm payrolls, released at 8:30 am ET, increased by 272,000 in May versus a 165,000 gain in April, compared with estimates compiled by Bloomberg for a smaller 180,000 increase. The unemployment rate was upwardly revised to 4% from 3.9% previously, compared with estimates for a no change.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude up 0.3% at $80.08 per barrel and US West Texas Intermediate crude up 0.3% at $75.81 per barrel, following reports that Saudi Arabia and Russia expressed their readiness to pause or reverse oil production increases.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 0.05% lower, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 0.6% lower, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.08% higher. Meanwhile, UK's FTSE 100 fell 0.7%, and Germany's DAX index dropped 0.9% in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, shares of Geron ( GERN ) were up 20% pre-bell after the company said it received US Food and Drug Administration approval for its drug Rytelo as a treatment for adult patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome, a type of leukemia. Braze (BRZE) shares increased 13% after the company reported a narrower fiscal Q1 non-GAAP net loss and higher revenue in addition to raising its fiscal 2025 outlook.

On the losing side, Biomea Fusion ( BMEA ) shares slumped 64% after the company said that the US Food and Drug Administration placed a full clinical hold on the company's diabetes program.