U.S. stock index futures moved higher on Friday morning, as market participants await key U.S. employment data
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 78 points, or 0.3%, to 26,343
Futures for the S&P 500 tacked on 10 points, or 0.3%, at 2,927.50
NASDAQ futures leaped 47.5 points, or 0.6%, to 7,781.75
Friday's session will focus on April jobs report, which is slated to be released at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Analysts on Wall Street are expecting a gain of 196,000 jobs in April and a jobless rate of 3.8%, according to Dow Jones estimates. Job creation posted a solid rebound in March with non-farm payrolls expanding by 196,000 after February's gain of just 20,000.
Overseas, Hong Kong markets pulled ahead 0.5%, while markets in Japan remained on holiday.
Oil prices gained eight cents to $61.89 U.S. a barrel.
Gold prices were unchanged at $1,272.00 U.S. an ounce.