Stocks Mostly Down Pre-Bell as Investors Await Key Jobs Report

07:19 AM EDT, 06/05/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The benchmark US stock measures were mostly tracking in the red before the open Friday as traders await a key employment report for May.

The S&P 500 decreased 0.5% and the Nasdaq was off 1% in premarket activity, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1%. The indexes finished the previous trading session mostly up, with the Dow recording a fresh closing high.

The nonfarm payrolls report for last month is scheduled to be released at 8:30 am ET. Government data is expected to show that the US economy added 85,000 jobs in May, compared with a 115,000 gain reported for the month prior, according to a Bloomberg poll.

Job cut announcements in May hit the highest for the month since 2020, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday, while US weekly applications for unemployment insurance rose unexpectedly. Earlier in the week, ADP (ADP) reported stronger-than-expected private-sector hiring for May.

Treasury yields were down in premarket action, with the two-year rate retreating 0.4 basis points to 4.05% and the 10-year rate declining 0.2 basis points to 4.48%.

Friday's economic calendar also has the weekly Baker Hughes oil-and-gas rig count at 1 pm.

President Donald Trump reportedly said Thursday he'd be "honored" to meet Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei if a peace deal is agreed between Washington and Tehran. Mojtaba Khamenei was named the supreme leader in Iran after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in strikes by the US and Israel in late February.

West Texas Intermediate crude oil slipped 0.2% to $92.87 a barrel before the opening bell, while Brent nudged 0.1% lower to $94.90.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Thursday rejected a US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon. The two countries agreed to the truce, subject to Iran-backed Hezbollah ending all fire and evacuating its operatives from the South Litani Sector, according to a joint statement from the US, Israel and Lebanon released Wednesday.

But just hours after the deal, Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters launched strikes, CNN reported Thursday.

Shares of Lululemon Athletica (LULU) dropped 13% pre-bell after the athletic apparel retailer lowered its full-year outlook amid certain headwinds and deteriorating sales trends. Micron Technology (MU) declined 3.3% after closing the previous session down 7.7%.

ABM Industries (ABM) and G-III Apparel (GIII) report their latest financial results before the bell, among others.

Gold decreased 0.3% to $4,491 per troy ounce, while bitcoin slid 1.6% to $62,671.

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