Futures stumble as Middle East tensions rise; jobs data awaited
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September ADP National Employment survey due at 8:15 am ET
Nike falls after withdrawing annual revenue forecast
Humana drops on lower members in Medicare Advantage plans
Futures off: Dow 0.40%, S&P 500 0.27%, Nasdaq 0.22%
Updated at 07:08 a.m. ET/1108 GMT
By Johann M Cherian and Purvi Agarwal
Oct 2 (Reuters) -U.S. stock index futures dipped onWednesday after geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and a domestic port strike made investors waryahead of labor data expected to shedlight on the health of the economy and the monetarypolicy path.
Wall Street's main indexes had a dour start to the final quarter of the year, with the S&P 500 .SPX and the Nasdaq .IXIC touching about two-week lows in the previous session, as investors sold riskier assets after Iran fired missiles against Israel in retaliation for its attacks in Lebanon.
Markets held their ground as Israel and the U.S. vowed to strike back. However, oil prices climbed more than 3% as traders priced in possible supply disruptions from the oil-rich region. Oil stocks such as SLB SLB.N and Occidental Petroleum OXY.N added 2.3% and 1.6%, respectively,in premarket trading. O/R
Defense stocks such as Lockheed Martin LMT.N and RTX RTX.N gained 1.1% and 1.3%, respectively, afterthe broader S&P 500 aerospace and defense index .SPLRCAERO hit a record high in the previous session.
"The situation remains highly volatile, but if Israel's response is not too aggressive, markets may take the view that both countries are for the second time this year preferring to de-escalate after a brief hostile exchange," analysts at ING bank said.
At 07:08 a.m. ET, Dow E-minis 1YMcv1 were down 168 points, or 0.40%, S&P 500 E-minis EScv1 were down 15.5 points, or 0.27% and Nasdaq 100 E-minis NQcv1 were down 43.5 points, or 0.22%.
Futures tracking the small-cap Russell 2000 index RTYc1 slipped 0.7%,while safe-haven Treasury bonds dipped after Tuesday's surge. US/
The CBOE Volatility Index .VIX, Wall Street's fear gauge, hovered near a three-week high and was last at 19.4.
In economic data, the ADP National Employment survey for September is due at 08:15 a.m. ET, ahead ofthe pivotal non-farm payrolls data for September, which is expected onFriday.
Comments from policymakers including Beth Hammack, Alberto Musalem, Michelle Bowman and Thomas Barkin are scheduled through the day.
Markets ended September higher after the U.S. Federal Reserve kicked off its monetary policy-easing cycle with an unusual 50-basis-point rate cut in an effort to shore up the jobs market, which has taken on a greater importance in the central bank's dual mandate of price stability and low unemployment.
Odds of a quarter-percentage-point rate reduction at the Fed's November meeting areat 63.2%, up from 42.6% a week ago, according to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool.
Investors also monitored a dockworkers' strike on the East and Gulf coasts which entered its second day. The walkout could cost the American economy roughly $5 billion a day, analysts at JPMorgan estimated.
Some companies such as Walmart WMT.N, Merit Medical Systems MMSI.O andMcCormick MKC.N said they had planned for the strike. Their shares were flat in premarket trading.
Analysts said the spike in oil prices, along with the port strike, could raise inflation, which neared the central bank's 2% target recently.
Dow-component Nike NKE.N slid 5.6% after withdrawing its annual revenue forecast just as a new CEO is set to take the helm.
Humana HUM.N tanked 11% after it said it expects the total number of members enrolled in its Medicare Advantage plans for those aged 65 and above to decrease for 2025.
Reporting by Johann M Cherian and Purvi Agarwal in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai
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