Dow futures pointed to a much higher open following Thursday's 660-point plunge. The Dow was set to rise more than 300 points at the open, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures also pointed to gains of more than 1%.
Investors were optimistic that Friday's jobs report would show the US economy still has some strength left in it.
The labor market has been very strong, with unemployment at a nearly 50-year low. But economists believe several factors that could slow hiring: Employers are having trouble finding the workers they want to hire, and wages are starting to rise, making it more expensive to add workers.
Economists are forecasting that employers added 178,000 workers in December, down from the roughly 200,000 a month added over the previous year.
The Labor Department will release its December jobs report at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Stocks tumbled Thursday following Apple's (AAPL) that its sales would fall well short of guidance because of China's economic slowdown. They fell even further after a weak manufacturing report suggested the trade war was harming both China and the United States' economy.
Japan's Nikkei index dropped 2.3% Friday, that market's first day of trading following the New Year break.
Stocks have been unusually volatile in recent weeks. The S&P 500 was up or down more than 1% nine times in December, compared to only eight times in all of 2017.
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