The broad market exchange-traded fund SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) was up 0.2% and the actively traded Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) was 0.2% higher in Thursday's premarket activity as investors await a deluge of economic data.

US stock futures were also higher, with S&P 500 Index futures up 0.2%, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures advancing 0.1%, and Nasdaq futures gaining 0.3% before the start of regular trading.

US employers announced 85,979 job cuts in August, up from 62,075 in July and 75,891 a year earlier, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday.

US private payrolls rose 54,000 in August, missing forecasts for a 68,000 gain, as construction added 16,000 jobs and leisure and hospitality jobs climbed 50,000, ADP data showed Thursday.

The S&P Global final US PMI composite report for August posts at 9:45 am ET, followed by the ISM Services Index report for August at 10 am ET.

The weekly EIA natural gas report is slated for a 10:30 am ET release, while the EIA petroleum status bulletin will be released at 12 pm ET.

Federal Reserve officials John Williams, president of the New York Fed, and Austan Goolsbee, president of the Chicago Fed, are scheduled to speak on Thursday.

In premarket activity, bitcoin was down by 1.2%. Among cryptocurrency ETFs, the cryptocurrency fund ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) was 1.2% lower, Ether ETF (EETH) was down 1.4%, and Bitcoin & Ether Market Cap Weight ETF (BETH) retreated 0.5%.

Power Play:

Consumer

The Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLP) was up 0.2%, while the Vanguard Consumer Staples Fund (VDC) was down nearly 1%. The iShares US Consumer Staples ETF (IYK) was inactive, and the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY) gained 0.8%. The VanEck Retail ETF (RTH) was inactive, while the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) advanced 0.5%.

Dole (DOLE) shares were up more than 6% pre-bell after the company said an underwritten secondary offering of about 11.9 million of its ordinary shares was priced at $13.25 per share.

Winners and Losers:

Financial

Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) advanced 0.2%. Direxion Daily Financial Bull 3X Shares (FAS) was up 0.6%, while its bearish counterpart Direxion Daily Financial Bear 3X Shares (FAZ) was 0.6% lower.

Customers Bancorp (CUBI) shares were down more than 4% pre-bell after the company said late Wednesday it priced an underwritten public offering of about 2.2 million voting common shares at $68.50 per share for total expected gross proceeds of $150 million.

Health Care

The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) advanced 0.1%. The Vanguard Health Care Index Fund (VHT) was flat while the iShares US Healthcare ETF (IYH) gained 0.7%. The iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was flat.

AC Immune (ACIU) stock was down more than 3% premarket after the company said it plans to cut its workforce by around 30% as it moves to extend its cash runway and focus investments on most important assets, including three clinical-stage active immunotherapy programs.

Technology

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) retreated 0.1%, and the iShares US Technology ETF (IYW) was 0.2% lower, while the iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (IGM) was inactive. Among semiconductor ETFs, SPDR S&P Semiconductor ETF (XSD) was inactive, while the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) rose by 0.2%.

United Microelectronics (UMC) shares were up more than 2% in recent premarket activity after the company reported its net sales increased by 1.9% year on year to NT$155.82 billion for the eight months through August.

Industrial

Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLI) advanced 0.1% while the Vanguard Industrials Index Fund (VIS) and the iShares US Industrials ETF (IYJ) were inactive.

Nano Nuclear Energy (NNE) stock was up more than 1% before the opening bell after the company said it entered into a 10-year cooperative research and development agreement with Idaho National Laboratory, which operates under the US Department of Energy.

Energy

The iShares US Energy ETF (IYE) was inactive, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLE) was down by 0.1%.

Scorpio Tankers (STNG) stock was up more than 1% before Thursday's opening bell after the company said that it has entered a five-year agreement to time charter-out its STI Orchard Long Range 2 product tanker.

Commodities

Front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude oil was down 0.9% at $63.38 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas was up 1% at $3.10 per 1 million British Thermal Units. United States Oil Fund (USO) declined 0.8%, while the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) was 1% higher.

Gold futures for December declined by 1% to $3,597.70 an ounce on the Comex, while silver futures were down 1.3% at $41.53 an ounce. SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) retreated 0.6%, and the iShares Silver Trust (SLV) was 0.4% lower.