By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks futures indicated a higher
open on Wall Street on Friday, with markets poised to rebound after
Ukraine-fueled weakness the prior day, and with investors waiting
for consumer spending and confidence numbers.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJU4) added 39
points, or 0.2%, to 17,116, while those for the S&P 500 index
(SPU4) climbed 3.70 points, or 0.2%, to 2,000.40. Futures for the
Nasdaq 100 index (NDU4) put on 12.75 points, or 0.3%, to 4,082.50.
All benchmarks were on track for monthly gains.
The rises came after a downbeat session on Thursday, when the
S&P 500 retreated from 2,000 and halted its three-day winning
streak after Kiev said Russian forces had entered Ukraine.
Data: Ahead of the open, personal-income and consumer-spending
numbers are due, and both are expected to show a slowdown in growth
in July. Personal income is forecast to have risen 0.3% last month,
while consumer spending is expected to have inched 0.1% higher. The
reports come out at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Read: To maintain
robust economic growth, consumers must spend more
At 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time, the Chicago purchasing managers index
for August comes out. It's forecast to climb to 57.5, from 52.6 in
July, by economists polled by MarketWatch.
Then, 10 minutes later, the Reuters/University of Michigan
consumer sentiment index for August is slated to hit.
Earnings: On a quiet day on the earnings front, the only major
release comes from Big Lots Inc. (BIG). The discount retailer
reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of 31 cents a share,
compared with expectations of 30 cents a share by analysts surveyed
by FactSet. Revenue came in at $1.2 billion, meeting
expectations.
Other markets: European stock markets were slightly higher as
investors digested euro-zone inflation data. Consumer prices rose
0.3% in August, marking the lowest inflation level in almost five
years. The data were in line with analysts' expectations, and the
question remains as to whether the reading was weak enough to push
the European Central Bank into launching new easing measures at its
policy-setting meeting next week.
Stocks in Asia closed mixed. Oil prices (CLV4) climbed above $95
a barrel, while gold (GCZ4) inched lower. The dollar (DXY) rose
against most rivals.
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