The big US release on the agenda for the S+P 500 later today

With the US monthly jobs report very much now in focus on Friday, there is some very important data due out later today, which could have a bearing on that report. That is the latest JOLTS, job openings report. Now most recently this data has been showing a pretty consistent decline in the number of new jobs available to US workers. The last report showed openings at 8.488 million. The report today is expected to show another modest decline, to around 8.355 million. So depending on what emerges here at 2pm GMT it will have an impact on the US equity markets and right now it looks like those markets could do with some positive numbers today. Yesterday the S+P 500 was helped to a slightly higher close by the gains in the Nasdaq 100 and the tech component crossover between the two indexes. The S+P closed just 5 points higher, at 5,283, but were it not for tech that close would have been lower for sure. The opening outlook right now is not so positive though, as the global markets turn red almost everywhere. The S+P 500 is currently priced to reopen at around 5,255