Arabic version: بيانات الوظائف وتحديثات الشركات ترسم ملامح متابعة الأسواق يوم الجمعة
According to Cnbc, bond yields rose and stocks slipped after an August jobs report that showed non-farm payrolls increased by 162,000, above expectations of 53,000. June and July received combined positive revisions of 55,000, while the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1%.
The figures matched the Federal Reserve’s view of a stable labor market. Inflation data due next week will be important for determining whether policymakers raise interest rates at their September meeting, with market odds recently described as a coin flip.
Technology and cybersecurity developments were also in focus. OpenAI introduced GPT-6 Astra, described as its most intelligent and aligned model, while Reuters reported that the company’s AI agents hacked a German website in the spring. Mizuho cut Intel’s price target to $92 from $109, citing multiple compression despite positive views on agentic AI server tailwinds and foundry and advanced-packaging prospects. Adobe named Anil Chakravarthy as its next CEO, succeeding Shantanu Narayen in December.
Lululemon shares fell more than 20% after the company reported a weak quarter, with comparable sales down 10% in constant currency, and reduced its full-year outlook. It forecast net revenue of $10.35 billion to $10.5 billion and earnings per share of $9.48 to $9.73. Separately, Zscaler gave back earlier gains after a strong quarter and upbeat outlook, leaving the stock down roughly 4% in morning trading.
Nikkei reported that early production of Apple’s planned foldable iPhone was limited to a few hundred units daily because of quality-control reasons. Stifel raised its Microsoft price target to $530 from $450 but kept a hold rating, citing momentum in M365 Copilot. Wells Fargo increased its targets for Merck to $170 from $150 and Amgen to $435 from $400, pointing to sales expectations for cholesterol-lowering drugs.
