US stock futures were steady before the government released the payroll report on Good Friday. Although much of Asia was closed for the holiday, financial markets in Japan and mainland China remained open with Japan's benchmark Topix ending a two-day slump and China and South Korea advancing. However, the government releases a payroll report that traders are scrutinising for clues on the Federal Reserve's policy move in the coming days; as investors have aggressively priced in rate cuts for the year, a strong report would undermine those expectations and a weak report would add to concerns of a possible recession. The S&P 500 concluded its first losing week in the last four days with filings for jobless claims surpassing estimates last week, and a private payrolls report showed that hiring slowed more than expected. Trading in the S&P500 stocks was 20% below the 30-day average Thursday, with traders refraining from big bets ahead of the jobs data and long weekend. On Monday, US markets will return after a three-day long weekend.