Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq Futures Rise After Soft Jobs Report As Markets Await Fed Minutes: IBRX, SMCI, VST, SOFI Stocks In Focus

U.S. stock futures traded higher in the overnight session late Sunday, as weaker-than-expected jobs data last week lowered expectations for another benchmark interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve this month.

Meanwhile, markets will watch for the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes, scheduled for release on Wednesday.

As of 10:40 p.m. EDT, Dow futures were up 0.01%, the S&P 500 futures had gained 0.08%, while Nasdaq-100 futures rose 0.27%.

On Friday, all three benchmark indexes closed higher. The Nasdaq Composite led the climb, hitting an all-time high during trading hours and ending the session 1.19% higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.49% at close, while the S&P 500 gained 0.73%.

Last week, U.S. benchmark indexes posted mixed returns, with the Nasdaq closing higher while the S&P 500 and Dow closed lower.

U.S. markets closed last week higher after being pressured by rising long-dated Treasury yields and inflation concerns. However, the September jobs report, which came in below expectations, eased rate-hike concerns.

The September 2026 U.S. jobs report showed nonfarm payrolls increasing by a lower-than-expected 29,000 jobs, while the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%.

U.S. Treasury yields surged to multiyear highs last week before pulling back on Thursday. At the time of writing, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield was trading at 5.26%, down from 5.3% earlier. The 30-year Treasury bond yield was trading at 5.609% at the time of writing.

Meanwhile, expectations for a Fed rate hike in October have plummeted to 22.1% from 64.2% a week earlier, according to data from the CME FedWatch tool.

Charlie Bilello, Chief Market Strategist at Creative Planning, said in a post on X last week that despite the weaker-than-expected payroll report, “another Fed rate hike is still likely before year-end” during the December FOMC meeting.

Markets are also closely watching the minutes from September’s FOMC meeting, scheduled for release Wednesday afternoon. The minutes will provide insight into the Fed’s decision to hike interest rates and will likely provide cues for its upcoming policy decisions.

After last week’s rally in technology stocks, with Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) hitting an all-time high of $237.88 in intraday trading, markets will also watch whether the momentum carries into the following week.