Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average share index fell 0.1 percent, for the Nasdaq 100 rose 0.1 percent and for the S&P 500 index fell 0.2 percent, pointing to a mixed start on Wall Street.

* At 1230 GMT, U.S. Commerce Department to release March durable goods orders. A Reuters survey says orders are likely to fall 1.5 percent compared to a 3.5 percent rise the prior month.

* The Commerce Department is also set to release new home sales figures for March at 1400 GMT. Economists forecast a total of 340,000 annualized units in March, against 337,000 in February.

* The Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI) to release at 1430 GMT its weekly index of economic activity for the week ended April 17. The index read 107.2 in the prior week.

* The U.S. government is expected to release documents outlining the assumptions that underlie the stress tests for the 19 biggest U.S. banks. Results of the tests are not due until May 4, but may start leaking out next week.

* Ford is expected to post a deep first-quarter net loss as the global economic downturn is pressuring results in developed markets such as the United States. Analysts expect Ford to post losses across all of its major regions. On average, the first-quarter loss is expected to be $1.23 per share, excluding one-time items.

Ford shares in Frankfurt were up 0.6 percent.

* 3M reports first-quarter earnings, with analysts anticipating a 38 percent drop from the previous year's results. After a recent offer of early retirement packages to 11 percent of its workforce, investors will want to know how the company will continue to trim costs should it become necessary.

* Schlumberger , the world's largest oilfield services company, reports its quarterly earnings. Analysts expect the company to earn 73 cents a share, excluding items, down from $1.06 a year earlier, according to Reuters Estimates.

* U.S. manufacturer Honeywell International posts first-quarter results. It is suffering from a slump in demand for aircraft components and slowing commercial construction.

* Xerox also reports first-quarter results. Analysts expect the company to earn 5 cents a share, excluding items, down from 27 cents a year earlier, according to Reuters Estimates. * Microsoft Corp's quarterly profit fell 32 percent, but its shares rose as investors welcomed continuing efforts to cut costs and news that the release of its Windows 7 operating system is on track.

The world's top software maker offered no profit forecast on Thursday, after withdrawing its outlook in January, but did say it expected the personal computer, server and hardware markets to remain weak for at least another quarter.

* A variety of World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) reports will be released ahead of the global lending institutions' weekend spring meeting. At 1300 GMT, a briefing is being held on the release of the Global Monitoring Report, followed by a series of regional economic reports at midday and the early afternoon. The Group of 24 meets at IMF headquarters at 1245 GMT.

* Amazon.com shares fell 6.3 percent to $75.50 in extended trade on Thursday after the Internet retailer posted its quarterly results.

* Shares of American Express rose 4.9 percent to $22.00 in extended trade on Thursday after the credit card company released quarterly results.

* Morgan Stanley , which posted a wider-than-expected first-quarter loss this week, is eyeing changes to its biggest proprietary-trading desk, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the discussions.

* With a week remaining for Chrysler LLC to clinch a deal with Italy's Fiat , the U.S. automaker is readying a bankruptcy plan but still focused on reaching an alliance with the support of the Obama administration, people with knowledge of the discussions said on Thursday.

(Reporting by Atul Prakash; editing by Karen Foster)