5 things to know on the market today

1. Markets brace for U.S. jobs report
Market players looked ahead to data on U.S. nonfarm payrolls on Friday for fresh clues on the likelihood of a December rate hike.
The consensus forecast is that the data will show jobs growth of 175,000 in September, following an increase of 151,000 in August. The unemployment rate is forecast to hold steady at 4.9%, while average hourly earnings are expected to rise 0.2% after gaining 0.1% a month earlier.

2. Global stocks mixed with U.S. data in focus
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a marginally lower open on Thursday morning, as market players looked ahead to more U.S. economic data for hints on the possibility of a December rate hike.
Meanwhile, European and U.K. stocks were broadly lower in choppy mid-morning trade, as markets kept an eye on oil prices.

3. Oil prices hold steady near June highs
Oil prices wobbled between gains and losses on Thursday, but held steady near a four-month high underpinned by data showing that crude supplies in the U.S. fell for the fifth week in a row.
U.S. crude was up 5 cents, or 0.1%, to $49.88 a barrel, while Brent tacked on 15 cents, or 0.3%, to $52.01 a barrel.

4. U.S. dollar firms just below 2-month high
The dollar edged higher to trade near a two-month peak against the other major currencies on Thursday, as growing expectations for a December rate hike by the Federal Reserve continued to support the greenback. Against the yen, the dollar rose nearly 0.2%. Elsewhere, sterling slumped 0.25% to 1.2713 after falling as low as 1.2686 on Wednesday, its weakest in more than three decades, on fears of the impact of Britain's impending exit from the European Union.

5. Twitter sinks 14% on report Apple, Google, Disney won't bid
Shares of Twitter tumbled nearly 14% ahead of the opening bell on Thursday morning after Recode reported that tech giants Apple and Google would not move forward with a bid to acquire the social network.

Read more:

• And for all the bounty hunters: Iran offers $80m for the head of Donald Trump
• US service member and 2 US Defense Dept contractors killed in Kenya attack
• Iranian Quds leader Qasem Soleimani has been killed – how are markets reacting
• A calm end of an otherwise loud 2019
• Old but Gold – Top 5 posts of Varchev Finance