This is CNBC's Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox. Happy Friday. These introductions have been helpful in reminding me what day it is amid such a busy news week, but I'm still struggling to get the hang of writing that we're in 2026. Stock futures are near flat this morning. The S&P 500 finished yesterday's session little changed. Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:
1. Clocking in
More than 75 employers were taking resumes and talking to prospective new hires at a career fair in Lake Forest, CA on Wednesday, February 21, 2024. Paul Bersebach | Medianews Group | Orange County Register | Getty Images
We're counting down to the all-important December jobs report due at 8:30 a.m. this morning. The labor market data is a key to gauging the health of the U.S. economy and predicting the future path for interest rates. Here's what to know: Economists polled by Dow Jones expect the nonfarm payrolls to grow by 73,000 in December and the unemployment rate to tick lower to 4.5%.
Data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas released yesterday offered reason for optimism: The consulting firm found announced layoffs hit a 17-month low in the month.
Plus, the average consumer's overall outlook is improving despite labor market concerns, according to a New York Federal Reserve survey released yesterday.
Following the release of the jobs data, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett — a top contender to be the next Federal Reserve chair — will join CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" at 9 a.m. ET.
Stocks are on track for a winning week. Follow live markets updates here.
2. Decision day?
US President Donald Trump during an announcement in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. Will Oliver | Bloomberg | Getty Images
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