Stocks set for early gains

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were poised for early gains Monday, as traders returning from the long weekend took a positive view of the latest news on the jobs front.

Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100 futures were higher.

Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance and offer an indication of how markets may open when trading begins.

U.S. stocks ended a shortened week on an upbeat note last week. The Dow and S&P finished at 18-month highs on Thursday. U.S. markets were closed for Good Friday.

When trading begins Monday, investors will have their first opportunity to react to the U.S. Department of Labor's March employment report that came out Friday.

The report showed that employers added 162,000 jobs last month after shedding 14,000 jobs in February. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.7%.

In addition to the jobs report, investors were also encouraged by strong sales estimates for Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) iPad, which launched Saturday amid much frenzy.

"There is some carry-over from the jobs report and people seem to be excited about the iPad reception over the weekend," said Nick Kalivas, vice president of financial research at MF Global Research in Chicago.

With the job market showing signs of improvement, investors are now looking to the corporate sector for direction. The quarterly earnings period gets underway next week when Alcoa reports first-quarter results.

"I think we've dialed in an economic recovery and now people want to see that show up in headline sales and earnings growth," Kalivas said.

Economy: Investors will also take in on Monday a report on pending home sales for February, as well as the Institute for Supply Management's services sector index.

The February pending home sales index comes out after the opening bell. The index is expected to have fallen 1% after a 7.6% decline the month before, according to economists surveyed by Breifing.com.

At the same time, the ISM services index is forecast to rise to a reading of 53.6 from 50 the month before. Any reading over 50 indicates expansion in the sector.

World markets: In Japan, the Nikkei added nearly 0.5% as investors cheered the U.S. jobs report. Markets in Hong Kong and China were closed. Markets across Europe are also closed Monday.

Currencies and oil: The dollar rose against the euro but slid versus the pound and yen.

U.S. light crude oil for May delivery rose 68 cents to $85.55 a barrel. The price of gold for June delivery added $2.10 an ounce to $1,127.20.

Bonds: The benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose slightly, lowering its yield to 3.86%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.

The government will offer $8 billion worth of 10-year Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, or TIPS, on Monday in the first of four auctions this week aimed at selling $82 billion in 3-, 10- and 30-year Treasurys.