A slowdown in the job market could push the Federal Reserve to cut its main interest rate in a couple weeks.

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street ticked higher Thursday as the countdown ticks to an update on the U.S. job market coming Friday, one that could clear the way for the cuts to interest rates that investors love.

The S&P 500 rose 0.4% as it clawed back more of its losses since setting an all-time high last week . The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 193 points, or 0.4%, as of 12:58 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% higher.

Stocks got some lift from easing pressure from the bond market, where Treasury yields fell following the latest reports on the U.S. job market to come in worse than economists expected. One report suggested employers, not including the

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