US Stock Futures Slightly Lower Ahead Of Consumer Spending Data

US stock futures are slightly lower this morning, as investors are awaiting consumer spending data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 13 points to 13,401.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 1.40 points to 1,439.70. Nasdaq 100 futures declined 1.75 points to 2,812.75. US stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.54% to 13,485.97, the S&P 500 index surging 0.96% to 1,447.15 and the Nasdaq 100 index gaining 1.39% to 3,136.60. The US Labor Department is scheduled to release data on personal income and spending for August at 8:30 a.m. ET. The Institute for Supply Management will release its Chicago purchasing-managers survey for September at 9:45 a.m. ET and the University of Michigan/Reuters index of consumer sentiment for the month of September will be released at 9:55 a.m. ET. American Greetings

is projected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.14 per share on sales of $432 million. Walgreen Co

is estimated to report its FQ4 earnings at $0.56 per share on sales of $17.08 billion. Finish Line

is projected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.44 per share on sales of $358.3 million. Nike

reported a 12% drop in its fiscal first-quarter profit. It gross margin declined to 43.5% from 44.3%. Micron Technology

posted a wider fiscal fourth-quarter loss. Research In Motion Ltd

reported upbeat second-quarter results. European markets were mixed today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index fell 0.04%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.29%, French CAC 40 Index dropped 0.17% and German DAX 30 index rose 0.28%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 0.89%, China's Shanghai Composite surging 1.45% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.08%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.38% and India's Sensex surged 0.98%. Gold futures gained $3.20 to trade at $1,783.70 an ounce, while crude oil futures rose $0.46 to $92.31 per barrel.