Wall Street indexes opened with mixed performance on Friday as investors digested weaker-than-expected employment data that highlighted ongoing challenges in the U.S. labor market. The disappointing jobs report, combined with anticipation surrounding a potential Supreme Court ruling on tariffs, created a cautious trading environment at the start of the session.

December Jobs Data Falls Short of Expectations

The Labor Department's latest employment report revealed significant weakness in job creation for December. The following table summarizes the key employment metrics:

The modest job creation figure of 50,000 positions represents a concerning slowdown in employment growth, suggesting potential softening in the labor market. However, the unemployment rate of 4.4% provided some relief to investors, coming in marginally below analyst expectations and indicating continued labor market resilience.

Market Response at Opening Bell

The mixed economic signals translated into varied performance across major indexes at the market open. The following table shows the opening movements:

The divergent performance reflected investor uncertainty, with the Dow posting a slight decline while both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq managed modest gains. This mixed response suggests markets were weighing the negative implications of weak job creation against the relatively stable unemployment rate.

Additional Market Considerations

Beyond the employment data, investors remained focused on potential policy developments, particularly awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on tariffs. This anticipation added another layer of uncertainty to market sentiment, as traders positioned themselves for potential policy implications that could affect various sectors and overall market direction.

The combination of disappointing jobs data and pending policy decisions created a cautious atmosphere, with investors likely to monitor upcoming economic indicators and policy announcements for clearer directional signals in the sessions ahead.

US stock markets opened lower on Thursday as investors adopted a cautious stance ahead of Friday's pivotal jobs report, with all major indices posting modest declines. Mixed economic data, including rising jobless claims and an unexpected shrinkage in the US trade deficit during October 2025, contributed to the subdued market sentiment.

Market Performance Overview

As of 9:35 a.m. Eastern Time, the major indices showed uniform weakness across the board:

At the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell to 48,850.17, the S&P 500 declined to 6,914.11, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped to 23,548.88. In the bond market, Treasury yields edged higher following the mixed economic data, with the 10-year Treasury yield rising to 4.18% from Wednesday's close of 4.15%.

Defense Stocks Lead Sector Gains

Defense contractors emerged as the day's standout performers following President Trump's announcement of plans to increase US military spending to $1.5 trillion by 2027, up from the current $901 billion, to build what he termed the "Dream Military." The president also signed an executive order requiring Pentagon contracts to include provisions prohibiting stock buybacks during periods of underperformance on government contracts.

Individual Stock Highlights

Bloom Energy led individual stock gains with a remarkable 16.3% surge after American Electric Power signed a $2.65 billion deal for fuel cells, marking one of the largest fuel cell agreements in recent memory.

Technology stocks faced headwinds, with major names posting declines between 1.1% and 2.1%. Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Broadcom all retreated, though Alphabet bucked the trend with a 0.7% gain after the Google parent company surpassed Apple in market capitalization for the first time since 2019, becoming the second-largest US company.

Applied Digital jumped 13.3% after the data center operator reported second-quarter revenue that exceeded Wall Street estimates. Ford shares advanced 3.6% following Piper Sandler's upgrade to "overweight" from "neutral."

Commodities Market Movement

Oil prices advanced nearly 2% as investors assessed Venezuela developments and reports on proposed US sanctions legislation against countries conducting business with Russia. Brent crude futures rose $1.21 to $61.17 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude added $1.10 to $57.09.

Gold prices declined as commodity index readjustments maintained pressure on near-term pricing. Spot gold fell 0.5% to $4,432.94 per ounce, while other precious metals posted steeper losses, with silver down 4.5%, platinum declining 3.7%, and palladium shedding 2.6%.