Market Update
Stock index futures in the United States were trading close to flat early, as investors awaited a fresh round of earnings and economic-data releases Friday.
At the time of writing, S&P 500 futures were trading 0.8 points higher to 1355 while Nasdaq futures edged up 2.25 points to 2404.
In focus today would be earnings announcements from heavyweight firms such as Chevron, Caterpillar, Merck, and March economic reports relating to personal incoming and spending, core prices and first-quarter employment costs, all due at 08:30 a.m. After market open, the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index and the Michigan Sentiment Index for April would be released.
Overseas, equities in Asia and Europe traded with a negative bias, with weak commodity prices weighing on resource plays, but volumes remained light as stock markets in the U.K. and Japan remained closed.
Central banks in China and India are expected to meet over the weekend and next week respectively, and expectations are rife both countries may move to tighten monetary policy to contain inflationary pressures.
In the United States, shares in Microsoft may remain active today after the software giant declared quarterly earnings after the bell Thursday.