Wall Street’s go-to fear gauge the Cboe Volatility Index, or VIX, was a touch higher at just under 17. Any reading of below 20 tends to indicate relatively low uncertainty.
It’s a sign that investors are calm in the run-up to the June nonfarm payrolls report, due out at 8.30 a.m. Eastern time. Economists are expecting the report to show 115,000 jobs added, according to a FactSet poll, which would mark a slowdown from May’s 139,000. A bigger drop could fuel worries about slowing growth, although it would probably raise the odds of the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates later this year.