US Stock Futures Flat; GE Earnings In Focus

US stock futures are mostly flat this morning, as investors are awaiting earnings from General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 7 points to 13,549.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 1.20 points to 1,476.90. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 2.25 points to 2,738.25.US stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 0.63% to 13,596.02, the S&P 500 index rising 0.56% to 1,480.94 and the Nasdaq 100 index climbing 0.59% to 3,136.00. The Reuter's/University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for January will be released at 9:55 a.m. ET.General Electric Company is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $0.43 per share on revenue of $38.74 billion. Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.27 per share on revenue of $7.02 billion. Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $1.07 per share on revenue of $10.83 billion.State Street (NYSE: STT) is estimated to report its Q4 earnings at $1.00 per share on revenue of $2.36 billion. Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) is projected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.51 per share on revenue of $10.25 billion. Rockwell Collins (NYSE: COL) is estimated to report its Q1 earnings at $0.89 per share on revenue of $1.04 billion.Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) issued weak revenue forecast for the first quarter. American Express (NYSE: AXP) reported a 47% drop in its fourth-quarter net income. European markets were mostly higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.10%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.29%, German DAX 30 Index dropped 0.19% and French CAC 40 Index rose 0.21%.Asian markets ended higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 2.86%, China's Shanghai Composite gaining 1.41% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index climbing 0.31%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 1.12% and India's Sensex surged 0.38%.China's economy in the fourth quarter grew 7.9% y/y.Gold-futures for February delivery declined $0.90 to trade at $1,689.90 an ounce in electronic trade.Crude-oil for February delivery declined $0.08 to trade at $95.41 a barrel.The ICE dollar index (DXY) gained 0.14% to 79.82, versus 79.691 on Thursday.