Strong quarterly reports boost Wall Street ahead of more labor market data

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Wall Street leaned toward gains before the open today as a handful of companies posted strong quarterly results ahead of more updates on the labor market, according to the Associated Press. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials ticked up 0.1% before the bell, and futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.2%.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise — the information technology company, not the PC and printer maker — rose 13.9% before the bell after it beat Wall Street’s forecast and raised its full-year profit guidance.

Stitch Fix, the online custom clothing company, climbed more than 17% in premarket after it posted a smaller loss than expected on strong third-quarter sales.

Dollar Tree got an early boost after it acknowledged that it was considering selling its Family Dollar stores, but it quickly reversed course and was down 2.6% before the bell.

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Payroll company ADP said Wednesday private employers added 152,000 jobs in May, lower than expected, reflecting a “steep decline” in manufacturing jobs. The report can act as a preview for the government’s more comprehensive May jobs report due Friday.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 28 cents to $73.53 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, added 30 cents to $77.82 per barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 156.18 Japanese yen from 154.84 yen.

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