Investors to consider PC maker's cautious forecast, reports on inflation and consumer activity.
A red flag about corporate spending from PC maker Dell will combine with a wave of economic reports to give U.S. stock markets a lot to think about Friday.
At 5:20 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a flat start for the major indexes.
Dell, in reporting fiscal third-quarter earnings in line with analysts' expectations late Thursday, said it remains cautious about the prospects for a recovery in tech spending by corporations.
"The large corporate market is still being somewhat conservative," said Dell president Kevin Rollins.
Shares of Dell fell modestly in after-hours trading on Island ECN late Thursday.
Several reports on the economy will be released before trading starts. Tops on the list is the October reading of retail sales, which is expected to match September's 0.2 percent decline, according to a consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com. Excluding autos, a 0.2 percent increase is forecast.
Also due is the producer price index for October, with economists predicting a 0.2 percent increase, below September's 0.3 percent rise. Excluding food and autos, wholesale prices are seen having risen 0.1 percent.
The October gauge of industrial production is forecast to match September's 0.4 percent rise, with capacity utiilization climbing to 75 percent from 74.7 percent.
Shortly after the opening bell, the University of Michigan's preliminary reading of November consumer sentiment is expected, with the index seen blossoming to 91.3 from 89.6 in October.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 0.1 percent Thursday; for the week so far, the blue-chip measure is 28 points higher. The Nasdaq composite index declined 0.2 percent Thursday and is 3 points lower entering the final session of the week (see chart for details).
Asian-Pacific stocks ended mostly lower Friday, with Tokyo's Nikkei index down 1.7 percent on newfound strength in the yen that's seen hurting exporters. European markets were higher in early trading. (Check the latest on world markets)
Among U.S. stocks trading in Europe, General Motors (GM: Research, Estimates) fell more than 1 percent. The world's largest automaker said Thursday it will take a $1.2 billion pretax charge to cover the cost of employee payments covered under the new contract with the United Auto Workers.
Treasury prices were little changed in early trading. The dollar weakened against the yen and euro.
Brent oil futures rallied 13 cents to $29.43 a barrel in London, where gold was little changed.
A red flag about corporate spending from PC maker Dell will combine with a wave of economic reports to give U.S. stock markets a lot to think about Friday.
At 5:20 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a flat start for the major indexes.
Dell, in reporting fiscal third-quarter earnings in line with analysts' expectations late Thursday, said it remains cautious about the prospects for a recovery in tech spending by corporations.
"The large corporate market is still being somewhat conservative," said Dell president Kevin Rollins.
Shares of Dell fell modestly in after-hours trading on Island ECN late Thursday.
Several reports on the economy will be released before trading starts. Tops on the list is the October reading of retail sales, which is expected to match September's 0.2 percent decline, according to a consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com. Excluding autos, a 0.2 percent increase is forecast.
Also due is the producer price index for October, with economists predicting a 0.2 percent increase, below September's 0.3 percent rise. Excluding food and autos, wholesale prices are seen having risen 0.1 percent.
The October gauge of industrial production is forecast to match September's 0.4 percent rise, with capacity utiilization climbing to 75 percent from 74.7 percent.
Shortly after the opening bell, the University of Michigan's preliminary reading of November consumer sentiment is expected, with the index seen blossoming to 91.3 from 89.6 in October.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 0.1 percent Thursday; for the week so far, the blue-chip measure is 28 points higher. The Nasdaq composite index declined 0.2 percent Thursday and is 3 points lower entering the final session of the week (see chart for details).
Asian-Pacific stocks ended mostly lower Friday, with Tokyo's Nikkei index down 1.7 percent on newfound strength in the yen that's seen hurting exporters. European markets were higher in early trading. (Check the latest on world markets)
Among U.S. stocks trading in Europe, General Motors (GM: Research, Estimates) fell more than 1 percent. The world's largest automaker said Thursday it will take a $1.2 billion pretax charge to cover the cost of employee payments covered under the new contract with the United Auto Workers.
Treasury prices were little changed in early trading. The dollar weakened against the yen and euro.
Brent oil futures rallied 13 cents to $29.43 a barrel in London, where gold was little changed.
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