Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on February 09, 2026 in New York City.
Spencer Platt | Getty Images
U.S. equity futures moved higher on Wednesday after the delayed January jobs report surpassed expectations, providing some optimism to investors that the economy remains on firm footing.
S&P 500 futures rose 0.4%, while Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.5%. Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 204 points, or 0.4%.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ January nonfarm payrolls report — which had been delayed due to a partial government shutdown that ended on Feb. 3 — showed job growth of 130,000 last month. Economists polled by Dow Jones had called for a gain of 55,000. The latest figure also marked a sizable increase from December, which was downwardly revised to 48,000.
The unemployment rate also landed at 4.3%, a bit below the Dow Jones forecast for 4.4%.
The jobs report eased the negative sentiment in the market that was driven by weaker-than-expected consumer data released on Tuesday. That report showed that consumer spending in December was flat, missing the 0.4% monthly gain expected from economists polled by Dow Jones.
Shares of stocks that would benefit from an accelerating economy gained. Caterpillar, GE Vernova and Eaton were all higher in premarket trading.
“Traders were quite anxious about a significant miss and the better-than-expected data allows the bulls to resume the rally in search of new S&P 500 all-time highs,” said Jeff Kilburg, CEO of KKM Financial.
In the regular trading session, the S&P 500 slipped 0.3% as worries over artificial intelligence’s impact on the financial sector weighed on the index. After tech platform Altruist launched a new AI-powered tax planning tool, several financial services firms’ stocks fell. The Nasdaq Composite lost about 0.6%. However, the 30-stock Dow eked out a gain of 0.1%, notching another all-time high and a closing record.
Beyond the jobs report, other economic data that could steer markets will be released this week. The consumer price index, a key economic indicator that acts as a gauge for inflation, is expected to come out on Friday.