Wall Street pointed toward gains in premarket trading, according to the Associated Press, as investors seemed unfazed by the government’s latest jobs numbers, which came in much lower than expected due to worker strikes and hurricanes. Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.5% before the bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.4%.
Amazon shares jumped 7.3% overnight after the online retail giant reported a jump in quarterly profits Thursday, earning $15.3 billion in the third quarter, or $1.43 per share. That easily beat Wall Street forecasts, which called for profits of $1.14 per share. Revenue also came in ahead of analysts’ forecasts, boosted by the company’s popular Prime Day shopping event held in July.
Apple slid 1.7% in extended trading despite beating Wall Street’s sales and profit expectations. Investors were apparently disappointed by the company’s forecast that implied its revenue for the October–December quarter — which covers the holiday shopping season — might not grow as robustly as analysts envisioned.
Exxon Mobil rose close to 2% after the oil and gas giant’s third-quarter profit beat analysts’ expectations, helped by contributions from recent acquisition Pioneer Natural Resources. Rival Chevron rose 2.1% after it also beat sales and profit targets.
In other dealings, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained $1.61 to $70.87 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, surged $1.51 to $74.32 per barrel.
The dollar rose to 152.78 Japanese yen from 152.00 yen.
