By Oliver Gray
Investing.com - U.S. stock futures held steady in early APAC trade on Thursday after retreating in the previous session, as risk sentiment was sapped by concerns that the continued spread of the coronavirus Delta variant could stunt the economic recovery, while uncertainty remained as to when Federal Reserve officials will taper its monetary policy support.
In regular trade on Wednesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 68.93 points or 0.2% to 35031.08 and the S&P 500 lost 5.94 points or 0.13% to 4514.08 as both indices fell for the third consecutive session. Meantime, the NASDAQ Composite retreated from record highs, losing 87.69 points or 0.57% to 15286.64.
Among stocks, Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) lost 1.01% and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) dipped 1.21% as technology heavyweights retreated. Meantime, Lululemon Athletica Inc (NASDAQ:LULU) surged 13.75% in extended trade after reporting earnings results, while furniture retailer while RH (NYSE:RH) lifted 1.32% following better-than-expected earnings.
Among recent data, the U.S. JOLTs Job Openings rose to 10.934M from a month earlier to fresh record highs, implying that last month's sharp slowdown in hiring was due to employers being unable to find workers rather than weak demand for labor.
Later in the session, investors will be watching for the latest weekly jobless claims data for a greater look at the employment picture.