As investors looked at developments in Ukraine, stock futures rose on Thursday night ahead of the key jobs report.

Futures linked to the Dow Jones Industrial Average grew 53 points (or 0.2%) Those for the S&P 500 added 0.1%, while Nasdaq 100 futures moved up 0.2%.

These moves are made ahead of the Labor Department’s February employment report. Dow Jones economists expect 440,000 new jobs to grow and that the unemployment rate will fall to 3.9%. Annually, hourly earnings are expected to increase by 5.8%.

This report is the last before the Federal Reserve meets next. The central bank will likely increase interest rates. Jerome Powell, Fed Chair, stated Wednesday that he was leaning toward support a single 25-basis point hikeIn March. The basis point equals 0.01%.

“I think because we saw Powell say, uncharacteristically frankly, specifically say that the planned to support a 25-basis point hike, that speculative thinking may be a little bit more anchored at a 25-basis point hike even if we do see a stronger-than-expected report tomorrow,” said Lauren Goodwin, economist and portfolio strategist at New York Life Investments.

Goodwin suggested that traders could use the wage growth section of the report to help them determine the best policy direction.

Goodwin explained that even 5.8% wage increase is still a wage decrease if inflation rises above 7%.

Investors’ attention will be drawn to the war in Ukraine on Friday. Ukraine has held Kyiv as its capital after more than seven days of fighting. But, reports indicate that other large cities have been shelled. One million Ukrainians have fled the countryAccording to the United Nations, it is.

Currently, the U.S. economic sanctions and those of its allies have cut Russia’s economy off from many parts the global financial market. JPMorgan stated in a note that Russia’s economic growth could be 35% per year in the second quarter.

Some big trades were driven by earnings reports Retailer GapBoth Sweetgreen, a restaurant chain, and Broadcom both saw increases after exceeding their expectations. After outpacing revenue and earnings estimates, Chipmaker Broadcom rose.

The following is the Thursday schedule the three major averages closed lower after a choppy session. The Dow gained 96 points before it closed lower. Nasdaq fell 1.56% due to software stocks.

Dow Jones is currently down 0.9%, marking its fourth consecutive negative week. The S&P 500 is down about 0.5% for the week, while the Nasdaq Composite is down more than 1%.