(Editor’s note: The future prices of benchmark tracking ETFs, the lede, the economic data, and the headline were updated in the story.)
U.S. stock futures fell on Friday following Thursday’s negative close. Futures of the major benchmark indices were lower amid the ongoing Iran-US conflict.
The February U.S. employment report showed total nonfarm payrolls edged down by 92,000, falling short of the modest gains anticipated by economists. Despite the dip in payrolls, the unemployment rate held relatively steady at 4.4%. On the inflation front, average hourly earnings for private nonfarm workers rose by 0.4% to $37.32 in February, bringing the year-over-year increase to 3.8%.
Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.17%, and the two-year bond was at 3.61%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 97.3% likelihood of the Federal Reserve leaving the current interest rates unchanged in March.
| Index | Performance (+/-) |
| Dow Jones | -0.31% |
| S&P 500 | -0.41% |
| Nasdaq 100 | -0.49% |
| Russell 2000 | -0.48% |
The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) and Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ), which track the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, respectively, were lower in premarket on Friday. The SPY was down 0.56% at $677.44, while the QQQ declined 0.77% to $604.25.
Stocks In Focus
Costco Wholesale
- Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST) fell 0.23% in premarket on Friday despite reporting better-than-expected financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2026 after the close on Thursday.
- COST maintains a strong price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a poor value ranking, as per Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings.
Marvell Technology
