Stocks set to rise ahead of jobs report

NEW YORK — Stocks are poised for modest gains ahead of a key report on the state of the job market.

The Labor Department will release its March jobs report at 8:30 am Eastern. Analysts expect that the unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.9 percent. Separately, the Institute of Supply Management will issue its manufacturing index for March.

Auto companies will release March sales figures throughout the day.

Nasdaq OMX Group and IntercontinentalExchange are making a bid for NYSE Euronext, offering a 19 percent premium to the deal the company struck with the operator of the German exchange.

Dow Jones industrial average futures are up 53, or 0.4 percent, to 12,305. S&P 500 futures are up 6, or 0.4 percent, to 1,327. Nasdaq 100 futures are up 12, or 0.5 percent, to 2,348.