New York, Jan 9 (AP) US stocks are ticking higher following a mixed report on the job market, one that may delay another cut to interest rates by the Federal Reserve but not necessarily slam the door on it.

The S&P 500 rose 0.2 per cent in early trading Friday. The index was nearing the all-time high it set earlier in the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 147 points, or 0.3 per cent, and the Nasdaq composite was flat.

Treasury yields were mixed in the bond market after the Labour Department said employers hired fewer workers overall in December than expected, though the unemployment rate improved.

US homebuilder stocks continued to rise, though more modestly than they did a day earlier when President Donald Trump said he was directing the federal government to buy USD 200 billion in mortgage bonds. Trump said the move would help reduce mortgage rates at a time rising home prices continue to keep many potential homebuyers on the sideline.

KB Home, DR Horton and Lennar Corp were all up between 1 per cent and 2 per cent overnight, a day after bigger gains of around 5 per cent.

General Motors fell nearly 2 per cent in premarket after the automaker said it will take close to a USD 6 billion hit in the fourth quarter as sales of electric vehicles sputter. The charges follow an announcement in October that GM would log a USD 1.6 billion charge for the same reason in the previous quarter.

Investors are also waiting for the government's release of its monthly job report for December, which could influence the Federal Reserve's next interest rate decision.

The Fed cut its benchmark rate three times to end 2025 as central bank officials became increasingly concerned about a softening US labour market, even as inflation remains above its 2 per cent target. Friday's jobs data will be the first clean readings on the labour market in three months because government didn't issue a report in October due to the six-week government shutdown and November's data was distorted by the closure, which lasted until November 12.

Economists are expecting the report to show that hiring remained subdued last month as many companies have sought to avoid expanding their workforces.

Should December's jobs report come in surprisingly weak, it could strengthen case for a rate reduction at the Fed's next meeting January 27-28.

Also, later Friday morning the Supreme Court is also expected to issue a possible ruling on Trump's far-reaching “Liberation Day” tariffs, which could lift market sentiment.

Elsewhere, in Europe at midday Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.6 per cent, while the CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.9 per cent. Germany's DAX was up 0.4 per cent.

In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 1.6 per cent to 51,939.89. Shares of Fast Retailing, the fashion company behind Uniqlo, jumped more than 10.6 per cent after its quarterly operating profit surged about 34 per cent year-on-year. It revised its full-year forecasts upward.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 0.3 per cent to 26,231.79, and the Shanghai Composite index rose 0.9 per cent to 4,120.43, after official data showed China's inflation rate picked up in December, rising at its fastest pace in almost three years. That suggests an improvement in demand, which tends to push prices higher.

The Chinese artificial intelligence startup MiniMax, whose shares debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Friday, surged 109 per cent.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 fell less than 0.1 per cent to 8,717.80. Shares of Rio Tinto fell more than 6.2 per cent, after the mining group confirmed that it is in preliminary merger talks with Glencore in a deal that could create the biggest mining company in the world.

South Korea's Kospi added 0.8 per cent to 4,586.32.

Taiwan's Taiex fell 0.2 per cent, and India's Sensex lost 0.7 per cent.

In energy trading, oil prices gained after a volatile week following Trump's ouster of the leader of Venezuela. Benchmark US crude rose 41 cents to USD 58.17 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 44 cents to USD 62.43.

Supply worries persist. Venezuela has some of the largest oil reserves in the world and the US has sought to assert control over its oil resources. It seized two more oil tankers this week, including one that sailed under a Russia flag that the US said had evaded a blockade on sanctioned oil vessels around Venezuela. (AP) NPK NPK