U.S. Stock Futures Point to Higher Open

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NEW YORK — U.S. stock futures advanced Friday ahead of a government report that investors hope will show strong job growth in September after a sudden contraction the month before.

The Labor Department's monthly employment report gauges the health of the labor market, whose strength this year amid a housing market downturn and tighter credit conditions has bolstered the economy. Investors have been optimistic that Friday's data will reverse August's surprising drop in payrolls. That was the first job market contraction in four years.

However, analysts say the government jobs data is often revised, and the August decline could have been a blip.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial expect September payrolls to rise by 115,000 and the unemployment rate to hold steady at 4.6 percent.

Dow Jones industrial average futures for December rose 36, or 0.3 percent, to 14,077. Standard & Poor's 500 futures gained 6.40, or 0.41 percent, to 1,558.60. Nasdaq 100 index futures jumped 9.00, or 0.42 percent, to 2,132.00.

The Dow added 6.26 on Thursday, while broader stock indicators ended slightly higher. It was a session marked by low volume and low volatility.

Bonds fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, rose to 4.54 percent from 4.53 percent late Thursday.

The U.S. dollar edged higher against the euro, British pound and other world currencies ahead of the jobs report. A strong showing in the September labor market could bolster the greenback.

Gold prices slipped and oil prices rose in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Overseas stock markets were mixed. Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.23 percent, Germany's DAX index rose 0.33 percent, while France's CAC-40 edged up 0.01 percent. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.16 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 3.18 percent.

In corporate news, British bank Barclays PLC withdrew its $84 billion offer for ABN Amro Holding NV on Friday after too few shareholders tendered their shares, leaving a consortium led by Royal Bank of Scotland PLC in position to buy ABN Amro for $99.9 billion. It would be the largest takeover in the history of the financial industry.

Aluminum maker and Dow-component Alcoa Inc. said Thursday it expects to book charges of $845 million on the planned sale of its packaging and consumer products businesses. Alcoa also plans to restructure its electrical and electronic solutions segment.

Blackberry maker Research In Motion Ltd. said late Thursday its profit and revenue more than doubled in the second quarter on strong growth in its subscriber base. Results were in line with analyst expectations.

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