As traders approach another pivotal day for financial markets, a series of crucial decisions and economic data releases that could sway market dynamics are expected on Friday, May 2, 2025. The U.S. jobs report, including nonfarm payrolls and unemployment rate, will take center stage, alongside factory orders and the Baker Hughes (NASDAQ: BKR ) rig count, providing key insights into the health of the American economy and energy sector.

Major Economic Events to Watch:

• 8:30 AM ET - Average Hourly Earnings m/m: Forecast 0.3%, Previous 0.3% - A key indicator of wage growth and inflation pressures

• 8:30 AM ET - Nonfarm Payrolls: Forecast 133K, Previous 228K - A crucial measure of job creation in the U.S. economy

• 8:30 AM ET - Unemployment Rate: Forecast 4.2%, Previous 4.2% - The percentage of the total workforce that is unemployed and actively seeking employment

Other Important Economic Events to Watch:

• 8:30 AM ET - Private Nonfarm Payrolls: Forecast 124K, Previous 209K - Measures change in private sector employment

• 8:30 AM ET - Average Hourly Earnings y/y: Forecast 3.9%, Previous 3.8% - Year-over-year wage growth indicator

• 8:30 AM ET - Participation Rate: Previous 62.5% - Measures the active portion of an economy’s labor force

• 10:00 AM ET - Factory Orders m/m: Forecast 4.4%, Previous 0.6% - Indicates demand for manufactured goods

• 1:00 PM ET - Baker Hughes U.S. Rig Count: Previous 483 - A barometer for oil drilling industry activity

• 1:00 PM ET - U.S. Baker Hughes Total Rig Count: Previous 587 - Total active drilling rigs in the U.S.

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC S&P 500 speculative positions: Previous -75.9K - Indicates market sentiment for S&P 500 futures

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Nasdaq 100 speculative positions: Previous 37.7K - Shows speculative positioning in Nasdaq 100 futures

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Gold speculative positions: Previous 175.4K - Reflects speculative interest in gold futures

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Crude Oil speculative positions: Previous 171.0K - Indicates speculative sentiment in crude oil futures

Other Economic Events to Watch:

• 8:30 AM ET - Manufacturing Payrolls: Forecast -5K, Previous 1K - Employment change in the manufacturing sector

• 8:30 AM ET - Government Payrolls: Previous 19.0K - Change in government employment

• 8:30 AM ET - Average Weekly Hours: Forecast 34.2, Previous 34.2 - Average hours worked per week

• 8:30 AM ET - U6 Unemployment Rate: Previous 7.9% - Broader measure of unemployment

• 10:00 AM ET - Factory orders ex transportation: Previous 0.4% - Factory orders excluding volatile transportation sector

• 10:00 AM ET - Durables Excluding Transport: Previous 0.0% - Durable goods orders excluding transportation

• 10:00 AM ET - Durables Excluding Defense: Previous 10.4% - Durable goods orders excluding defense sector

• 10:30 AM ET - Natural Gas Storage: Forecast 111B, Previous 88B - Weekly change in natural gas inventories

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Aluminium speculative net positions: Previous 0.7K - Speculative positioning in aluminum futures

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Copper speculative positions: Previous 24.8K - Speculative interest in copper futures

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Silver speculative positions: Previous 44.7K - Speculative positioning in silver futures

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Natural Gas speculative positions: Previous -104.1K - Speculative sentiment in natural gas futures

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Wheat speculative positions: Previous -94.0K - Speculative positioning in wheat futures

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Corn speculative positions: Previous 219.8K - Speculative interest in corn futures

• 3:30 PM ET - CFTC Soybeans speculative positions: Previous 55.7K - Speculative positioning in soybean futures

For further information and the latest updates, please refer to our Economic Calendar, here .

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.