NEW YORK, Feb 3, 2026, 06:29 EST — Premarket
- The January jobs report and December JOLTS data have been delayed due to the partial U.S. government shutdown.
- Stock-index futures edged up just before the opening bell as earnings reports continue to arrive.
- Fed comments and Treasury financing updates remain high on today’s agenda.
A partial U.S. government shutdown has delayed the January jobs report and the December Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), clearing Tuesday’s economic schedule ahead of the opening bell. “The release will be rescheduled upon the resumption of government funding,” Emily Liddel confirmed about the postponed labor data. Reuters
The gap appears as investors weigh how fast the Federal Reserve might ease policy without fresh hiring data. S&P 500 E-minis nudged up 12.5 points, or 0.18%, while Nasdaq 100 E-minis climbed 123.75 points, or 0.48%. Dow E-minis barely moved. Teradyne jumped 23.7% in premarket after a strong forecast, and Palantir Technologies rose 10.4%. Advanced Micro Devices and Super Micro Computer each gained more than 2% ahead of earnings; analysts expect nearly 11% growth this quarter, per LSEG data.
In premarket trading, major U.S. ETFs mirrored the cautious tone seen in equities, with longer-dated Treasuries slipping. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust edged up 0.49% to $695.41, the Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 added 0.68%, and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF climbed 1.03%. Meanwhile, the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF dropped 0.64%.
Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin is up first with market-moving comments at 8:00 a.m. ET in Columbia, South Carolina. His remarks will be posted then, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.
The U.S. Census Bureau will release its Housing Vacancies and Homeownership report for Q4 at 10:00 a.m. ET. This data sheds light on the proportion of rental versus owner-occupied homes, a key metric for tracking trends in the housing market and inflation.
Markets are also weighing Monday’s upbeat factory data alongside a shift in the policy landscape. The Institute for Supply Management reported its manufacturing purchasing managers’ index climbed to 52.6 in January, marking the best reading since August 2022. On currencies, MUFG’s Lee Hardman noted that Donald Trump’s pick of Kevin Warsh for Fed chair suggests the administration isn’t aiming to curtail the Fed’s control over policy decisions.
Late Monday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury cut its first-quarter borrowing forecast, now expecting $574 billion in privately held net marketable debt. For the second quarter, it projects $109 billion. Jefferies economist Thomas Simons said these updates leave “little risk” of immediate changes to coupon auction sizes. Investors will instead focus on the upcoming quarterly refunding announcement for clues on future issuance. Reuters
Investors will also keep an eye on the Redbook index of weekly chain-store sales, scheduled for release at 8:55 a.m. ET. Later, the American Petroleum Institute plans to publish its weekly crude inventory report at 4:30 p.m. ET. This report often influences oil market moves before the official government inventory numbers come out.
But the bigger wildcard could be what doesn’t come out. If a shutdown drags on, what starts as a one-week hiccup can morph into a full-blown “data blackout,” forcing investors and policymakers to make decisions with incomplete info—and causing rate expectations to shift sharply. Investopedia
Traders have their eyes on the calendar now: the Treasury plans to release more details on the quarterly refunding at 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Then at 10:00 a.m. ET, the ISM will publish its services PMI, a report that drops on the third business day each month. Meanwhile, markets remain on hold for news about the rescheduling of delayed labor reports.
