Stock futures nudged higher on Thursday, as Wall Street looked to stabilize after a poor start to the year.
Equity bulls will be hoping that data continues to show economic activity slowing to the extent that it helps the Federal Reserve achieve its 2% inflation target, but not by so much that it indicates a contraction that would badly hit corporate earnings.
To that end investors will keep a close eye on the December nonfarm payrolls report, released Friday, hoping it shows steady jobs growth with benign wage pressures.