U.S. stock indexes are holding relatively steady following a mixed report on the job market that analysts said may not change much for financial markets. The S&P 500 was up 0.2% in early trading Friday and remained on track for a modest gain for the week.

The latest consumer sentiment data showed near-term inflation expectations rose to their highest level since November 2023.

Wall Street is drifting Wednesday as gains for most stocks outweigh drops for Alphabet and some other big-name companies following their latest profit reports. The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in late trading.