US Stock Futures Flat Ahead Of Economic Data

US stock futures are flat this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 18 points to 12,757.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 1.10 points to 1,374.20. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 3 points to 2,575.00.US stocks closed lower on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbling 0.94% to 12,811.32, the S&P 500 index falling 1.22% to 1,377.51 and the Nasdaq 100 index dropping 1.42% to 2,895.58. Data on October import price index will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for November will be released at 9:55 a.m. ET, while data on September wholesale inventories will be released at 10 a.m. ET.J. C. Penney Company (NYSE: JCP) is projected to report a Q3 loss at $0.07 per share on revenue of $3.27 billion. Ameren (NYSE: AEE) is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $1.41 per share on revenue of $2.14 billion. The E. W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.13 per share on revenue of $214.03 million. Warner Chilcott plc (NASDAQ: WCRX) is projected to report its Q3 EPS at $0.78 on revenue of $599.57 million. Foster Wheeler AG (NASDAQ: FWLT) is projected to report its Q3 EPS at $0.45 on revenue of $1.07 billion. Alliant Energy (NYSE: LNT) is estimated to report its Q3 EPS at $1.30 on revenue of $992.44 million.Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) reported weaker-than-expected third-quarter results. Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) reported downbeat third-quarter profitPriceline.com (NASDAQ: PCLN) announced its plans to acquire Kayak Software (NASDAQ: KYAK) in a $1.8 billion deal. Walt Disney Co (NYSE: DIS) reported a 14% rise in its net income in the fiscal fourth quarter. However, the company's quarterly revenue missed analysts' estimates. European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index dropped 0.16%, London's FTSE 100 Index fell 0.15%, French CAC 40 Index declined 0.26% and German DAX 30 index dropped 0.50%.Asian markets ended lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average falling 0.90%, China's Shanghai Composite declining 0.12% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.44%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.85% and India's Sensex declined 0.86%.Crude oil for December delivery declined $0.09 to $85.00 a barrel on Globex, while gold futures gained $6.60 to $ 1,732.60 an ounce.The ICE dollar index (DXY) gained 0.13% to trade at 80.92, up from 80.807 in late North American trade Thursday. The euro dropped 0.21% against the dollar to trade at $1.2721. The US dollar fell 0.28% against the Japanese yen to trade at ¥79.25.