US stocks are mostly quiet with indexes hanging around their records ahead of a big jobs report due on Friday. The crypto market had much more action, and bitcoin briefly burst to a record above $USUS103,000 .
Elsewhere on Wall Street, stocks of airlines helped lead the way following the latest bumps up to financial forecasts from carriers.American Airlines Group soared 15.3 per cent after saying it’s making more in revenue during the last three months of 2024 than it expected, and it will likely make a bigger profit than it had earlier forecast.
American Eagle Outfitters fell even more, 14 per cent, after the retailer said it’s preparing for “potential choppiness” outside of peak selling periods. It was reminiscent of a warning from Foot Locker earlier in the week and raised more concerns about how resilient US shoppers can remain. Expectations are high that the Fed will cut its main interest rate again when it meets in two weeks. The Fed began easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high in September, hoping to offer more support for the job market.