Here are 4 tips for today's trading. This will help you decide where you should invest and what to look for:
1. Ready for the jobs report
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its highly anticipated monthly jobs report at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Economists surveyed by CNNMoney project that 220,000 jobs were created in April, bringing the unemployment rate down to 5.4% from 5.5%.
In March, the economy added 126,000 jobs, which was well below expectations.
Some economists believe March was an aberration, while others say the data indicates that hiring is slowing down. If the April job number comes in below 200,000, investors will be on high alert.
Ahead of the release, U.S. stock futures are inching higher.
2. Markets jump after U.K. election
U.K. investors are waking up Friday to a surprise election win for Prime Minister David Cameron, and they're cheering the results.
London's benchmark index, the FTSE 100, rallied by 2% when markets opened. The FTSE 250, which tracks many mid-sized British companies, surged by just over 3%.
The British currency and bond markets are also rising as investors express relief that a contentious result has been avoided. The polls had been inconclusive in the lead-up to the election.
"For investors, a clear victor removes a tremendous amount of uncertainty in the near-term over the ability of the government to govern and legislate," explained Azad Zangana, senior European economist at Schroders.
European stock markets are also rising, though the gains are not as big.
3. China stocks
Chinese investors have been shaken from their state of prolonged euphoria this week as major stock markets have stumbled.
The main Chinese indexes closed the day with gains. But if you look at the week as a whole, the benchmark Shanghai Composite index is down by about 5%. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong also dipped by 2% this week.
For investors, the pullback is a major reality check. The Shanghai stock market has more than doubled over the past 16 months to its highest levels in six years.
4. Thursday market recap
The Dow Jones industrial average jumped by 82 points, while the S&P 500 rose 0.4% and the Nasdaq closed with a 0.5% gain.
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