Thursday’s session in the S&P 500 index futures kept the now eight-day win streak alive, though rocky swings tempered the gains.

Overnight, Wednesday’s top component earnings sparked an uplift, with bulls clinging to gains through to the opening bell. The regular session kicked off with bulls anchoring support around the 5630 area, above the overnight low. Construction spending data at 10:00 AM ET significantly missed expectations, yet bulls surged, briefly pausing near the premarket high before rocketing to a new peak of 5682.50. The rally didn’t last, however, as bears slammed the index back to the opening zone. 

Bulls clawed through a choppy afternoon, only to face a late bearish jab in the final 10 minutes as traders and investors braced for Friday’s jobs report. The session closed in the lower half of the day’s range at 5623.25, up 36.25 handles, with after-hours declines following less favorable earnings. 

Friday brings April’s employment report at 8:30 AM ET, more earnings, and a special PreMarket Prep Kentucky Derby Preview at noon ET: https://youtube.com/live/Hy4yBP9v1GE. 

Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ: MSFT) snagged the biggest win among top components, soaring $30.14, or 7.63%, to close at $425.40, fueled by a top-and-bottom-line earnings beat and solid guidance released Wednesday evening.

That outpaced the cash index’s 0.71% gain by over 10 times.

On the other hand, Eli Lilly And Co (NYSE: LLY) slumped as the biggest loser after Thursday’s earnings missed EPS and cut its yearly profit outlook, despite a top-line beat. The issue shed $104.85, or 11.66%, to close at $794.10.