Futures point to weak open after strong session
U.S. stock index futures pointed to a weak open on Friday with investors set to take profits after a gain of more than 2 percent in the previous session.
Dow component Boeing Co
Boeing fell 2.9 percent to $41.30 before the opening bell.
As investors try to assess the market's next move after a sharp bounce, J.P. Morgan Securities said the S&P 500 index <.SPX> is likely to fall to between 830 and 875 through September, given its virtually uninterrupted rise since its March lows.
The strategists also urged investors to use the correction to build positions in cyclical stocks. The index ended Thursday at 920.26.
The broad S&P had rallied as much as 40 percent from March's 12-year low, but the run-up has stalled as initial optimism about a stabilizing economy has been tempered by worries the recovery could be tepid. The index is up about 36 percent from the March trough.
Data on tap for the day includes a report on personal income due at 8:30 a.m. EDT and consumer sentiment at 9:55 a.m.
S&P 500 futures eased 2.60 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 slipped 14 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures were off 4.50 points.
Palm Inc
could boost technology shares after it posted a narrower-than-expected loss and said demand was strong for its new Pre smartphone. Palm jumped 11.9 percent to $15.69 in premarket trade.
Stocks could also be buffeted by end-of-quarter window dressing as portfolio managers sell stocks with big losses and buy some of the quarter's best-performing stocks to help improve their returns.
On Thursday, stocks rose on investor relief that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke withstood a barrage of pointed questions from Congress on the Bank of America-Merrill Lynch
(Reporting by Leah Schnurr; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
© Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. All rights reserved.