Stocks are indicated higher on better-than-expected jobs data Friday. About thirty minutes before the opening bell, stock index futures indicate that the Dow Jones Industrial Average might add 40 or 50 points at the open.

Stock index futures moved higher early Friday after the Labor Department said the US economy lost 36,000 jobs in February, which was significantly better than the 68,000 drop that economists had predicted.

The unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent and average hourly earnings rose .1 percent. Economists were looking for an unemployment rate of 9.8 percent and a .2 percent increase in hourly earnings.

Overall, the focus seems to be on the better headline number and, while stock index futures ticked higher, bonds are under pressure in morning trading. The benchmark ten-year Treasury is off 14/32nd and now yields 3.66 percent.

The dollar rallied .93 to 90.06 against the yen. The euro slipped .0023 to 1.3557 against the buck.

Commodities are mostly higher. Crude oil gained 89 cents to $81.10 a barrel and gold is up $1 to $1134 an ounce.

Among the stocks to watch, Marvell Technology (MRVL) is off 1.8 percent despite reporting a 40-cent per share quarterly profit, which was 3 cents better than Street estimates. Intermune (ITMN) surged more than 80 percent after the biotech said the FDA will review an NDA for pirfenidone idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis treatment next week. TIVO is up another 6 percent after JP Morgan upgraded the stock following yesterday’s favorable ruling in a patent case. Google (GOOG) might see early gains after Citi analysts said a recent pullback in the shares creates a buying opportunity.