Wall Street holding strong before ECB and jobs numbers

(MENAFN– ecpulse) Investors globally took the sidelines Thursday, with U.S. stocks near record highs, as they await the European Central Bank decision and U.S. jobs data on Friday.

The ECB is facing many pressures to do more to revitalize the Eurozone economy as risks of deflation increase and the Euro remains higher.

A huge number of investors and market participants are looking for at least something from the ECB today, even its nothing more than a condition of some sort that has to be met for a decision on easing to be made.

Investors are also turning their attention to Friday`s much anticipated March unemployment report. Markets will get readout on the labor market Thursday when the Labor Department publishes jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET.

European markets were mixed and U.S. stock futures little changed.

-Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.140% to 16510

-Futures on the S&P 500 Index gained 0.106% to 1884.90

-Futures on the NASDAQ 100 gained 0.109% to 3662.25 . As of 07:19 a.m. ET

U.S. stocks made gains Wednesday. The S&P 500 closed at a new record high, its eighth of the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average just missed closing at a new record, falling short by a mere three points, and the NASDAQ also closed higher.

Shares of Tesla rose in after-hours trading on news that it`s appealing New Jersey`s decision to ban direct car sales in the state.