Stock futures flat ahead of nonfarm payrolls data

[November 06, 2015]  By Abhiram Nandakumar

(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Friday ahead of the comprehensive monthly jobs report, which could influence the Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates next month.

* The report by the Labor Department, due at 8:30 a.m. ET, is expected to show that nonfarm payrolls increased 180,000 in October, above the 139,000 jobs per month average for August and September.

* Fed Chair Janet Yellen hinted earlier this week that the central bank may move in December if data showed the economy was strong enough to sustain higher rates.

* Economists have said job gains above 150,000 in October and November would be sufficient for the Fed to lift rates from the near-zero levels they have been kept at for nearly a decade.

* Traders see a 58 percent chance of a rate liftoff in December, according to the CME Group's FedWatch program.

* Global stock markets were subdued, while the dollar <.DXY> rose to a three-month high on Friday.
 

* U.S. stocks closed lower on Thursday, weighed down by mixed earnings and a decline in energy stocks.

** Nvidia's shares <NVDA.O> rose 10 percent to $30.50 premarket after the chipmaker's third-quarter results beat expectations.

* TripAdvisor <TRIP.O> fell 9.2 percent to $75.50 after quarterly results missed estimates.

* Youku Tudou <YOKU.N> rose 9.2 percent to $26.60 after Alibaba <BABA.N> said it would buy the company for $27.60 per ADS, $1 higher than its previous offer. Alibaba was up 0.3 percent.

* Weight Watchers rose 15.8 percent to $19.60 after it raised its 2015 adjusted profit forecast,

* ZS Pharma soared 40.2 percent to $88.75 after AstraZeneca said it would buy the biotech company for $2.7 billion.

* Fed Board Governor Lael Brainard and Chicago Fed President Charles Evans are among Fed policymakers scheduled to speak on Friday. Berkshire <BRKa.N> is scheduled to report results after the close.

Futures snapshot at 7:10 a.m. ET:

* S&P 500 e-minis were up 0.75 points, or 0.04 percent, with 78,595 contracts traded.

* Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 6 points, or 0.13 percent, on volume of 12,997 contracts.

* Dow e-minis  were down 5 points, or 0.03 percent, with 9,133 contracts changing hands.

(Reporting by Abhiram Nandakumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

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