Premarket: U.S. stock futures steady as investors await payrolls data

News Snapshot:

U.S. stock index futures held steady on Thursday as investors awaited the monthly jobs report for insights on the health of the labor market and the Federal Reserve’s plans for monetary easing. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs after Wednesday’s choppy session, boosted by gains in technology stocks and a trade agreement between the United States and Vietnam that eased concerns about prolonged trade tensions. The blue-chip Dow closed 1.3 per cent below all-time highs touched in December. All eyes are on the nonfarm payrolls report for June, which is scheduled to be released at 8:30 a.m....