Investing.com - U.S. futures were higher on Friday as news of a possible delay to U.S. tariffs on Mexico and rising hopes of a prompt interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve kept investors in a positive mood ahead of the monthly jobs report.
The U.S. Department of Labor publishes its monthly jobs report at 8:30 AM ET (12:30 GMT). Traders are looking for confirmation that job creation has plateaued, which would strengthen the case for the Federal Reserve to cut rates.
Dow futures rose 86 points or 0.3% by 6:43 AM ET (10:43 GMT), while tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures gained 33 points or 0.5% and S&P 500 futures was up 9 points or 0.4%.
The U.S. and Mexico are continuing talks over border issues, with Mexico expected to deploy 6,000 National Guard to the southern border with Guatemala in an attempt to curb immigration.
A tariff of 5% on all imports from Mexico is still scheduled for Monday, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence confirmed, although he said he was "encouraged" by the progress that had been made in the talks.
Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) soared 26% in premarket trade after the plant-based meat alternative company reported earnings well ahead of expectations, its first report as a public company. The veggie burger maker said it expected sales to more than double this year, something that counted for more than a wider first-quarter loss.
Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) rose 1.5%, while Zoom Video Communications (NASDAQ:ZM) jumped 14% after first-quarter sales doubled over the last year to $122 million.
Elsewhere, DocuSign (NASDAQ:DOCU) fell 19% after its billings grew at a lower rate than in previous quarters, while Carnival (NYSE:CCL) slipped 0.3%, still pressured by governance concerns after a second legal settlement in quick succession for illegally polluting the seas cost it $20 million. Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) gained 1%.
In commodities, crude oil jumped 1.1% to $53.17 a barrel, while gold futures inched down 0.4% to $1,337.55 a troy ounce. The U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of six major currencies, was up 0.1% to 97.062.