US Stock Futures Mixed; J.P. Morgan Earnings In Focus

US stock futures are mixed this morning, as investors are awaiting earnings from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co

. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 10 points to 12,403.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 1.40 points to 1,290.30. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.50 points to 2,379.00. US stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 0.17% to 12,471.02, the S&P 500 index gaining 0.23% to 1,295.50 and the Nasdaq 100 index gaining 0.51% to 2,724.70. Data on December import prices and the November trade deficit will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index for January will be released at 9:55 a.m. ET. J.P. Morgan is projected to report its Q4 earnings at $0.93 per share on revenue of $23.02 billion. JDA Software Group Inc

issued weak fourth-quarter revenue forecast. The company projects revenue of about $173 million for the fourth quarter, versus analysts' estimates of $181.6 million. Shutterfly Inc

reported that the company's chief financial officer Mark Rubash will leave the company next month. Archer Daniels Midland Co

reported that it will end a biodegradable plastics joint venture with Metabolix Inc

. Novartis AG

announced its plans to cut 1,960 jobs. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.35%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.19%, French CAC 40 index rose 0.91% and German DAX 30 index surged 0.33%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average surging 1.36%, China's Shanghai Composite declining 1.34% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 0.40%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.57% and India's Sensex gained 0.73%. Crude-oil futures for February delivery gained 0.16% to $99.28 a barrel. Gold futures for February delivery dropped $5.70 to $1,642.00 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange. The dollar index (DXY) gained 0.09% to 80.90, from 80.820 in late trading on Thursday.