Conglomerate's warning, $9.5B acquisition of medical device maker could set early Wall St. tone.
General Electric gave investors a lot to think about entering Friday's U.S. market open, warning about fourth-quarter results and agreeing to pay $9.5 billion for a British medical device maker.
At 7:05 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a higher open.
GE projected lower current-quarter earnings, citing a "challenging economy," while announcing a lower third-quarter profit that was in line with analyst expectations. The conglomerate behind everything from "The Today Show" to jet engines also said it will pay $9.5 billion for Amersham, a British medical devices maker.
GE (GE: Research, Estimates) shares fell 70 cents to $29.50 in Instinet trading early Friday.
(Check GE and other U.S. stocks trading in Europe)
In the economic reports due before the open, the government is seen unveiling an August trade balance of $41.5 billion, up from $40.3 billion a year earlier, according to a consensus of economists compiled by Briefing.com.
At the same time, the Labor Department will issue the September producer price index, which is forecast to have risen 0.1 percent after a 0.4 percent increase in August. Excluding food and energy, prices are predicted to have risen 0.1 percent.
The Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq composite index are both coming off solid gains Thursday following a better-than-expected report on jobless claims. With the Dow's 0.5 percent rise, it's up nearly 108 points for the week to date; following the Nasdaq's nearly 1 percent advance, it's carrying a 31-plus point boost entering Friday trading.
Asian-Pacific stocks rallied Friday, with Tokyo's Nikkei index up 2.4 percent. European markets advanced in early trading. (Check the latest on world markets)
Treasury prices were flat, with the 10-year note yield at 4.29 percent. The dollar pulled back against the yen and was little changed versus the euro.
Brent oil futures slipped 20 cents to $29.30 a barrel in London. Gold was higher.
General Electric gave investors a lot to think about entering Friday's U.S. market open, warning about fourth-quarter results and agreeing to pay $9.5 billion for a British medical device maker.
At 7:05 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a higher open.
GE projected lower current-quarter earnings, citing a "challenging economy," while announcing a lower third-quarter profit that was in line with analyst expectations. The conglomerate behind everything from "The Today Show" to jet engines also said it will pay $9.5 billion for Amersham, a British medical devices maker.
GE (GE: Research, Estimates) shares fell 70 cents to $29.50 in Instinet trading early Friday.
(Check GE and other U.S. stocks trading in Europe)
In the economic reports due before the open, the government is seen unveiling an August trade balance of $41.5 billion, up from $40.3 billion a year earlier, according to a consensus of economists compiled by Briefing.com.
At the same time, the Labor Department will issue the September producer price index, which is forecast to have risen 0.1 percent after a 0.4 percent increase in August. Excluding food and energy, prices are predicted to have risen 0.1 percent.
The Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq composite index are both coming off solid gains Thursday following a better-than-expected report on jobless claims. With the Dow's 0.5 percent rise, it's up nearly 108 points for the week to date; following the Nasdaq's nearly 1 percent advance, it's carrying a 31-plus point boost entering Friday trading.
Asian-Pacific stocks rallied Friday, with Tokyo's Nikkei index up 2.4 percent. European markets advanced in early trading. (Check the latest on world markets)
Treasury prices were flat, with the 10-year note yield at 4.29 percent. The dollar pulled back against the yen and was little changed versus the euro.
Brent oil futures slipped 20 cents to $29.30 a barrel in London. Gold was higher.
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