Jobs report and earnings put economy back in focus

Investors were set to focus on the August jobs report due Friday after the U.S. economy lost 23,000 jobs in July. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1% in July from 4.2% in June, while labor force participation neared a five-year low.

Federal Reserve policymakers are watching for signs of labor-market deterioration as they balance employment and inflation. Weaker hiring could reduce pressure for higher interest rates, while holding or cutting rates could make it harder to contain rising prices.

Several consumer-focused companies and manufacturers tied to artificial-intelligence data centers were also due to report quarterly results, including discount retail, apparel, spirits, computer hardware and semiconductor businesses. Major stock indexes ended the previous week higher despite hotter-than-expected inflation and trade tensions.

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