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U.S. stock index futures fell Friday ahead of the release of the influential monthly jobs report, amid persistent concerns over a slower pace of interest rate cuts in 2025.At 05:10 ET (10:10 GMT), Dow Jones Futures fell 70 points, or 0.2%, S&P 500 Futures dropped 20 points, or 0.3%, and Nasdaq 100 Futures slipped 75 points, or 0.4%.
Wall Street indexes were nursing a choppy start to 2025, as hawkish signals from the Federal Reserve and uncertainty over President-elect Donald Trump’s policies weighed on risk appetite. Trading volumes are likely to be thin on account of a market holiday on Thursday to honor the death of former President Jimmy Carter, while the fourth-quarter earnings season is also set to begin in earnest next week, with a slew of major banks on tap.
Nonfarm payrolls awaited for more rate cues 
The focus was now squarely on nonfarm payrolls for December, due later in the session, for more cues on the labor market and the path of interest rates. Economists forecast that the upcoming payrolls report will show that there was a rise of 164,000 roles in December while the unemployment rate is projected to match November's pace of 4.2%.Strength in the labor market is expected to give the Fed even more headroom to delay cutting interest rates this year. Fears of a labor market slowdown were one of the main motivations for the Fed cutting rates by 1% in 2024. 
But the central bank slashed its outlook for rate cuts in 2025, citing concerns over sticky inflation. The minutes of the Fed’s December meeting, released on Wednesday, also showed policymakers were concerned over the inflationary impact of protectionist policies under Trump. 
Q4 earnings season kicks off next week 
The fourth-quarter earnings season is set to begin in earnest next week, with several major banks, including JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM), Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC), Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and Citigroup (NYSE:C) set to report on Wednesday. Before that, Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) and Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ:WBA) are set to report earnings Friday.
Focus will be largely on whether resilience in the U.S. economy translated into strength in corporate earnings, and whether heavyweight technology stocks - which were a key driver of Wall Street in 2024 - were able to maintain their earnings growth. Investors will also be watching for any signs of earnings strength spreading outside the tech sector. 
Crude set for another positive week 
Oil prices rose Friday, on track for a third straight week of gains, with demand receiving a boost from severe winter conditions in parts of the United States and Europe. By 05:10 ET, the US crude futures (WTI) climbed 2.4% to $75.67 a barrel, while the Brent contract rose 2.4% to $78.77 per barrel. Over the three weeks ending Jan. 10, Brent has advanced 6% while WTI has jumped 7%.
Many parts of central and eastern United States are expected to experience below-average temperatures over the next few days, while many regions in Europe have also been hit by extreme cold, which is likely to increase demand for heating.
(Ambar Warrick contributed to this article.)
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