Economists have estimated that the government will report Friday that employers added 160,000 jobs in August and that the unemployment rate slipped back to 4.2%. Since hitting a half-century low of 3.4% in April of last year, the jobless rate has risen nearly a full percentage point.

Gold prices extended gains to hit a record high on Friday on expectations of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, while palladium was set to log its best week in nine months. Spot gold firmed 0.

Inflation is still sticky: car insurance, daycare, rent. Inflation data, however, hasn't justified such a move as yet, and the labor market, which represents the second side of th