NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Stocks futures jumped Friday after the August employment report showed that employers cut fewer jobs than economists were expecting and added more private-sector jobs than forecast.
Dow Jones industrial average (INDU), S&P 500 (SPX) and Nasdaq (COMP) futures climbed higher ahead of the opening bell. Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance.
Stocks ended higher Thursday, extending gains from the previous session, as investors cheered strong sales results from major retailers and better-than-expected reports on pending home sales and jobless claims.
Economy: The government's widely anticipated jobs report showed that the U.S. economy lost jobs for a third straight month in August, but employers cut fewer positions than economists had forecast.
The economy lost 54,000 last month. That compared to 131,000 jobs shed in July. Economists were expecting employers to slash 121,000 positions in August.
The private sector added 67,000, beating economists' expectations for a gain of 44,000 jobs.
The unemployment rate ticked up to 9.6%, from 9.5% in July, in line with expectations.
Meanwhile, economists forecast the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) services index to have slipped to 53 in August from 54.3 in July.
World markets: European shares rose in early trading. The CAC 40 in France was up 0.5%, the DAX in Germany edged up 0.2%, and Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.4%.
Asian markets ended mostly higher. Japan's benchmark Nikkei index rose 0.6% and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 0.5%. The Shanghai Composite ended unchanged.
Currencies and commodities: The dollar fell against the euro and the British pound, but was higher versus the Japanese yen.
Oil futures for October delivery slipped 61 cents to $74.41 a barrel. Gold for December delivery fell $1.50 to $1,251.90 an ounce.
Wheat futures also pushed higher to $7.23 a bushel after Russia extended its ban on grain exports into late 2011. Last month, wheat prices hit a a high above $8 a bushel when Russia announced an initial ban on exports until Dec. 1 due to a drought that has destroyed more than 20% of its wheat crop.
Bonds: The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.64% from 2.61% late Thursday. 
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.89% | 3.88% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 3.21% | 3.21% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.87% | 2.88% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.96% | 3.96% | |
| 15 yr refi | 3.30% | 3.29% |
Today's featured rates:
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 12,801.23 | -89.23 | -0.69% |
| Nasdaq | 2,903.88 | -23.35 | -0.80% |
| S&P 500 | 1,342.64 | -9.31 | -0.69% |
| Treasuries | 1.97 | -0.08 | -3.81% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 8.07 | -0.11 | -1.34% |
| General Electric Co | 18.88 | -0.26 | -1.33% |
| Cisco Systems Inc | 19.90 | -0.10 | -0.52% |
| Ford Motor Co | 12.44 | -0.25 | -1.97% |
| Frontier Communicati... | 4.04 | -0.10 | -2.42% |
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