MW:Stock index futures gain after Oct. payrolls rise
By William L. Watts
FRANKFURT (MarketWatch) -- U.S stock index futures moved modestly higher Friday, after data showed nonfarm payrolls rose by 171,000 in October, topping forecasts. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast a rise of 120,000. The unemployment rate edged up to 7.9% from 7.8%, in line with expectations. Stock index futures, which had been hovering near unchanged, pushed higher, with the December Dow Jones Industrials Average futures contract DJZ2 +0.31% rising 48 points, or 0.4%, to 13,213. S&P 500 futures SPZ2 +0.48% rose 6.3 points to 1,429.50, while Nasdaq 100 futures NDZ2 +0.20% advanced 4.25 points to 2,689.
