U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Friday as investors took a step back from the massive volatility that has shaken markets recently.

* Major indexes soared 4 percent on Thursday as valuations became attractive enough to entice buyers following a wave of fear that brought the S&P near bear market territory. It was the fourth day in a row the S&P ended with a move of more than 4 percent. The index has fallen for 11 of the past 14 days.

* Nvidia Corp could help technology stocks after it forecast a larger-than-expected jump in quarterly revenue late Thursday. In premarket trading Nvidia rose 12 percent to $14.97.

* Nvidia's results came after similarly bullish comments from Cisco Systems Inc on Wednesday. Strong outlooks from technology companies are considered a bullish sign, implying increased business spending ahead.

* For investors, concerns over slowing U.S. growth and fiscal problems on both sides of the Atlantic have mattered more than an earnings season in which a majority of companies topped profit and revenue expectations.

* S&P 500 futures rose 3 points and were below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures added 2 points and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 2 points.

* Investors are looking ahead to July retail sales, which are seen rising 0.5 percent, or 0.2 percent, excluding auto sales. Both metrics represent gains from the previous month. The data is due at 8:30 a.m. EDT.

* The preliminary August Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers sentiment index will also be released, and is seen at 63 versus 63.7 in the previous month. The report comes at 9:55 a.m. EDT.

* Overseas, European shares gained in early Friday trading, rising 1.8 percent following the short-selling ban on financial shares by France, Italy, Spain and Belgium as well as European Central Bank data that eased fears some banks faced liquidity issues.

* While bargain hunting spurred Thursday's strong gains, many traders still looked for a bottom in the market.

(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)