Equities were expected to steady on Friday after sharp gains in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500 staying flat, for the Dow Jones gaining 0.08 percent and for the Nasdaq 100 falling 0.07 percent.

* The Labor Department will release at 1230 GMT the employment report. Economists forecast that a total of 60,000 jobs were created in September compared with no new jobs in August. The unemployment rate is seen at 9.1 percent, a repeat of the August rate.

* The Commerce Department releases at 1400 GMT wholesale inventories for August. Economists predict inventories to rise 0.5 percent versus a 0.8 percent increase in July.

* At 1430 GMT, Economic Cycle Research Institute releases its weekly index of economic activity for October 1. In the prior week the index read 121.9.

* The Federal Reserve issues at 1900 GMT August consumer credit. Economists in a Reuters survey forecast consumer credit to rise $7.75 billion versus a $11.97 billion increase in July.

* The House of Representatives and the Senate will vote next Wednesday on three long-delayed trade deals with South Korea, Panama and Colombia, congressional leaders said.

* The Bank of Japan kept monetary policy unchanged on Friday, holding off from tapping its depleted policy arsenal for now although fears of a global recession and Europe's debt crisis are clouding the outlook for the fragile economy.

* Credit agency Moody's cut its ratings on British banks Lloyds and Royal Bank of Scotland on Friday and said it expected the UK government would have to continue to support the country's systemically important financial institutions.

* On Friday, the FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> index of top European shares rose 0.7 percent after the European Central Bank's offer on Thursday to help struggling banks. Japan's Nikkei average <.N225> rose 1 percent.

* U.S. stocks rose for a third day in a row on Thursday. The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 183.38 points, or 1.68 percent, to 11,123.33. The S&P 500 <.SPX> gained 20.94 points, or 1.83 percent, to 1,164.97. The Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> gained 46.31 points, or 1.88 percent, to 2,506.82.

(Reporting by Atul Prakash; Editing by Mike Nesbit)

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