Stock Futures Slip Ahead of Jobless Data

U.S. stock futures edged down ahead of jobless figures and a second day of testimony from Federal Reserve Chairman

Jerome Powell

on Capitol Hill.

S&P 500 futures fell 0.1% and futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3%. Changes in futures don’t necessarily predict market moves after the markets open.

European stocks declined Thursday for a two-day losing streak. The Stoxx Europe 600 was lower 0.4% in morning trade. Communication services and utilities sectors notched the biggest losses while materials and consumer staples sectors rose.

The U.K.’s FTSE 100 lost 0.1%. Other regional indexes in Europe also mostly fell as France’s CAC 40 was down 0.4%, the U.K.’s FTSE 250 shed 0.3% and Germany’s DAX was lower 0.4%.

The Swiss franc, the euro and the British pound gained 0.1% against the U.S. dollar.

In commodities, international benchmark Brent crude fell 1.2% to $73.84 a barrel. Gold rose 0.5% to $1,834.30 a troy ounce.

German 10-year bund yields were down to minus 0.328% and the 10-year U.K. government debt known as gilts yield slipped to 0.614%. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield was down to 1.331% from 1.356%. Bond yields and prices move inversely.

Stocks in Asia were mixed as Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 1.1% and China’s benchmark Shanghai Composite climbed 1%, whereas Japan’s Nikkei 225 index fell 1.2%.