Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 fall 0.3-0.4 percent, pointing to a weaker start on Wall Street on Friday.

The U.S. Labor Department releases its September employment report at 8:30 a.m. EDT. Economists in a Reuters survey forecast 180,000 jobs were lost in the month compared with a loss of 216,000 jobs in August. The unemployment rate is seen at 9.8 percent, compared with a 9.7 percent rate the prior month.

Energy shares will be in focus as crude oil prices fell by more than $1 to below $70 a barrel, driven lower by the dollar's recovery and concerns over U.S. employment data.

At 9:40 a.m. EDT Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI) releases its monthly future inflation gauge index for September. The index read 89.6 in August.

The Commerce Department releases at 10:00 a.m. EDT August factory orders. Economists in a Reuters poll expect orders to rise 0.3 percent compared with a 1.3 percent increase the prior month.

At 10:30 a.m. EDT, ECRI releases its weekly index of economic activity for the week ended September 25. In the prior week the index read 127.8.

Federal Reserve officials said on Thursday that while the recession-battered economy is on the mend, it will be weak for a while and the Fed is likely to keep its extensive support policies in place for a while.

Japan's jobless rate unexpectedly fell in August while household spending rose, but economists said it was unclear if these positive moves could be sustained as the effect of government stimulus spending fades.

General Electric Co is holding discussions on partnerships or an IPO for its NBC Universal unit, Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt said, as expectations grow about a deal with cable operator Comcast Corp .

Wal-Mart Stores Inc , the world's biggest retailer, sees a slow recovery from challenging U.S. business conditions, while its Asia operations are a little better, its chairman, Rob Walton, said on Friday.

Small businesses in the United States are not getting enough access to credit and the phenomenon is being reflected in dismal consumer spending trends, prominent banking analyst Meredith Whitney wrote in an opinion column on the Wall Street Journal's website.

The European competition watchdog said it had written to British Airways , American Airlines and Iberia , warning them over their Oneworld transatlantic alliance.

CIT Group Inc launched on Thursday a debt-exchange plan that the struggling lender to small and mid-sized companies hopes will prevent it from filing for bankruptcy.

Accenture's shares fell 2.7 percent in extended trade on Thursday after the company reported fourth-quarter results and provided its 2010 outlook.

Resources Connection Inc's shares slid 2.4 percent to $16.50 in extended trade on Thursday after the company reported first-quarter earnings.

Telik Inc's shares jumped 29.1 pct to $1.02 in extended trade on Thursday after the company announced positive results in an early-stage trial for its Telcyta treatment in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

The Dow and S&P 500 suffered their worst one-day falls in three months on Thursday after economic reports fueled fears about the recovery's strength.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> tumbled 203.00 points, or 2.09 percent, to end at 9,509.28. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> slid 27.23 points, or 2.58 percent, to 1,029.85. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 64.94 points, or 3.06 percent, to 2,057.48.

European shares hit a four-week low on Friday, extending the previous day's sharp losses. The FTSEurofirst 300 <.FTEU3> is down 1 percent at 971.93 points.

(Reporting by Atul Prakash; Editing by Greg Mahlich)

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