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Here’s what we’re watching ahead of the opening bell on Friday.
—U.S. stock futures ticked higher, with contracts tied to the S&P 500 up 0.4% a day after the broad-market index notched its first all-time closing high of 2021. Nasdaq-100 futures added 0.6%, suggesting tech shares would also build on Thursday’s recovery. Investors have largely focused on prospects for additional government spending once Democrats achieve a unified government after President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.
The U.S. lost 140,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate was 6.7%, ending seven months of job growth and suggesting the economy is weakening.
What’s Coming Up
A slew of blank-check companies are joining the market Friday, including Epiphany Technology Acquisition and SoftBank’s SVF Investment.
Market Movers to Watch
—Shares of Sarepta Therapeutics dropped 50% in off-hours trading after mixed results from a study of a drug targeting a form of muscular dystrophy.