5 things to know before the stock market opens on Thursday 9 September

Below are the most important news, trends and analyzes that investors need to start their trading day:

US futures were under some pressure on Thursday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 closed lower for the third straight session. Investors get another labor market report before the bell that could get into Federal Reserve thinking about when to start reducing Covid-era bond purchases. Rising inflation and the delta variant are also wildcards. The Nasdaq, which had been in a record closing period, broke a four-session winning streak on Wednesday as technology stocks failed.

Chinese stocks traded in the U.S. were lower in pre-market trading after Chinese regulators called NetEase and others for an interview to remind them of video game restrictions on children.

The U.S. government will have to report on its weekly look at unemployment claims at 8:30 a.m. ET. Economists are looking for 335,000 first-time unemployment benefit applications for the week ending Sept. 4. That would be a pandemic minimum until the week that ended March 14, 2020, when new lawsuits totaled 256,000. This was just before Covid caused historic business closures and job losses, prompting a rush for unemployment benefits.

The European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged on Thursday, but chose to slow the pace of net asset purchases as part of its pandemic emergency purchase program.

Shares of GameStop, the original meme stock, lost 7% in the market on Thursday, the morning after the video game retailer reported that its second-quarter loss fell year-on-year. GameStop, whose shares were still up more than 900% in 2021, offered no prospects for the coming quarters or asked questions during the post-results conference call. The company also said the SEC has requested additional documents for an investigation into the business activity of GameStop and other companies, which the company had revealed in May.

Shares of Lululemon soared about 14% in the market after the sportswear and leisurewear maker reported Wednesday afternoon that second-quarter earnings and revenue exceeded expectations. The company has benefited from the purchase of clothing for home closets. But now, many people are also looking for stretch pants and other comfort items to return to the office. Lululemon offered a better-than-expected outlook for the third quarter and fiscal 2021.

U.S. employees granted exemptions to the company’s vaccination warrant for religious reasons and will be placed on unpaid temporary leave from next month, the airline told staff Wednesday, citing the recent increase in cases Covid. United also said that if an employee’s application for a religious exemption is denied, he or she must be vaccinated within five weeks of the denial notice and receive the first shot before May 27. September, otherwise, will be deemed completed. Carriers ’approaches to raising staff vaccination rates have varied. Delta Air Lines, for example, imposes a $ 200 monthly surcharge on the company’s medical premiums for unvaccinated employees.

On Thursday, President Joe Biden will outline a six-axis federal effort to increase vaccinations against Covid and curb the growing delta variant, which kills thousands in the U.S. each week and jeopardizes the nation’s economic recovery. Biden is expected to push for vaccine mandates for staff and schools. He will talk about new ways to increase testing and promote mask requirements. The president will emphasize steps to help the economy, as well as measures to improve the treatment of people with Covid.

Bitcoin was more stable on Thursday after Ukraine became the fifth country in so many weeks to set some ground rules for cryptocurrencies. In an almost unanimous vote, the Ukrainian Parliament passed a law legalizing and regulating cryptography. The bill, launched in 2020, will end up at the desk of the President of Ukraine. Bitcoin traded around $ 46,200 on Thursday, two days after a flash shock ended up knocking it down 10%. Bitcoin hit an all-time high of more than $ 64,000 in April, but sold in June and July, even falling briefly below $ 30,000. But since mid-July, bitcoin has risen sharply.

– Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow all the actions of the market as a professional CNBC Pro. Get the news about the pandemic with CNBC coronavirus coverage.