Go to latestPinned post – 4.31AMBefore the Bell: ASX to edge higherTimothy MooreAustralian shares are set to edge modestly higher at the open.ASX 200 futures were up 5 points or 0.1 per cent to 9012 near 4.20am AEST. The S&P 500 was 0.3 per cent higher near 2.30pm in New York as health care stocks paced seven of the 11 industry sectors higher.Moderna’s stock price soared as much as 160 per cent after the company said its personalised cancer vaccine developed with partner Merck & Co helped reduce the recurrence of melanoma in a late-stage trial. Shares in Merck, a Dow Jones component, rose 12 per cent.Market highlightsASX 200 futures are pointing up 5 points or 0.1 per cent to 9012.All US prices near 2.30pm New York time.AUD +0.4% to US71.17¢Bitcoin +5.4% to $US68,271On Wall St: Dow +0.2% S&P +0.3% Nasdaq +0.2%VIX -0.66 to 15.18Gold +3.5% to $US4485.79 an ounceBrent oil +1.2% to $US92.12 a barrelIron ore -0.2% to $US96.05 a tonne10-year yield: US 4.65% Australia 5.05%Today’s agendaFollow the August reporting season, with dates for all the major ASX companies on the schedule and links to our coverage. Click here.Reporting on Thursday: Australian Finance Group (AFG) | Auckland International Airport (AIA) | APA (APA) | Bega Cheese (BGA) | Brambles (BXB) | Codan (CDA) | Charter Hall (CHC) | Cleanaway Waste Management (CWY) | Downer EDI (DOW) | Dexus (DXS) | EQT (EQT) | Goodman (GMG) | IDP Education (IEL) | Koala (KOA) | Megaport (MP1) | Medibank Private (MPL) | Northern Star Resources (NST) | Qube (QUB) | Ridley Corporation (RIC) | Sonic Healthcare (SHL) | Super Retail Group (SUL) | Universal Store (UNI) | Vicinity Centres (VCX) | Pepper Money (PPM) | Fortescue (FMG)What we learnt on Wednesday: This is profit season’s first big share price crash | Former darling Temple & Webster gets sent to the doghouse, Stockland’s data centre surprise, Mirvac has some good news on housing and Santos pays up.On the data front, consumer inflation expectations are set for release at 11am AEST and half an hour later it’s the July labour force report.NAB’s view: “We expect employment growth of more than 20,000 and the unemployment rate steady at 4.4 per cent. The surprisingly strong June employment outcome in part reflects some catch up growth as greater-than-usual numbers of people were waiting to start work in the previous month. As such, we have not pencilled in payback in July. There will also be interest in whether last month’s jump in the participation rates and the recent trend higher in underemployment sustain.”Westpac’s view: “For July, we have pencilled in a lift in employment of 15,000. We recommend watching the employment-to-population ratio on the day, as it will be subject to less noise around population projections.” It expects the participation rate to tick down to 66.9 per cent while the unemployment rate holds broadly steady at 4.4 per cent.Top storiesBumper Mirvac, Stockland sales turn housing turmoil story on its head | But the two big home developers also say they have had falling inquiries since interest rates started to rise and Labor made sweeping changes to tax concessions.States face budget shock as $226b in cheap COVID debt comes due | NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia will see their interest bills surge 25 per cent as ultra-cheap pandemic-era debt is refinanced at higher rates.Alphabet lands mega Australian bond issuance as demand tops $18b | Investors have rushed to take up the first local debt issuance by the tech giant behind Google, with traders eyeing a similar offer from the likes of Amazon.Australia’s next boom: Why AI won’t make easy money like mining | Data centres are more like a modest-return quarry than a high-value iron ore mine, operating on much lower profit margins and employing fewer people.Chanticleer: Economists say wage growth is fine. CEOs see a margin squeeze | Economists may be celebrating wage growth as “in line with expectations”, but corporate Australia is quietly pressing the panic button.