U.S. stocks opened modestly higher Tuesday as investors awaited a pivotal labor market revision and turned their attention to Apple’s marquee product launch.

At the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 21.07 points, or 0.05%, to 45,536.0. The S&P 500 added 5.37 points, or 0.08%, to 6,500.52, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 43.01 points, or 0.20%, to 21,841.7. The small-cap Russell 2000 slipped 0.24% to 237.67.

Commodity markets also showed movement: gold futures advanced 0.31% to $3,688.80, while crude oil surged 1.62% to $63.27.

Investors are bracing for the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual payroll benchmark revision, due at 10 a.m. ET. Analysts expect a cut of 500,000 to 900,000 jobs for the year ending March 2025, raising the possibility that job growth has been overstated. Last year’s downward revision of 818,000 jobs accelerated Federal Reserve rate cuts and ignited political controversy. President Trump replaced BLS leadership earlier this year amid congressional scrutiny.

The timing of today’s revision is especially sensitive, coming just ahead of this week’s inflation releases. A deeper-than-expected cut could strengthen the case for aggressive Fed easing while complicating the central bank’s inflation-fighting credibility.

Meanwhile, market focus is also on Cupertino, where Apple Inc. is set to unveil its iPhone 17 lineup at its “Awe Dropping” event. According to Wedbush Securities, Apple may raise prices on its Pro and Pro Max models by $50–$100 as it shifts more production to India, a transition expected to create a $1 billion quarterly headwind. Analysts also point to Apple’s AI strategy as the key “elephant in the room” for investors, with speculation about partnerships—including with Google’s Gemini—and potential acquisitions such as Perplexity.

The new iPhone 17 Air, replacing the Plus model, is expected to be the thinnest iPhone ever and retail at about $100 above the base model. All four new iPhones will feature upgraded cameras, larger batteries, faster wireless charging, and Apple’s latest A19 chip. Wedbush reiterated its Outperform rating and $270 price target on Apple shares. With stocks edging higher, commodities rallying, and investors awaiting labor and inflation data, markets face a potentially volatile day. The dual spotlight on government data revisions and a high-profile corporate launch underscores the delicate balance between policy risks and corporate catalysts shaping sentiment.