NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - What has been a down week on Wall Street isn't likely to get much of a lift Friday, as continued jitters about oil and Iraq pointed to a soft opening for stocks.

Early Friday, stock futures pointed to a flat to slightly lower opening.

Oil prices eased a bit, but remained about a dollar off the all-time intraday high of $49.40 a barrel. U.S. crude futures fell 18 cents to $48.28 a barrel in electronic trading, while Brent oil futures slipped 35 cents to $44.78 a barrel in London.

On the economic front, the Commerce Department said Friday orders for big-ticket items meant to last at least three years fell 0.5 percent after gaining an upwardly revised 1.8 percent in July. July's gain was initially reported as a 1.7 percent rise

Wall Street had forecast orders would stay flat overall and rise 1.0 percent excluding the highly volatile transportation component.

After the markets start trading, the August report on existing home sales is expected. A decline in sales to 6.65 million a year from 6.72 million in the prior month is forecast.

The Dow Jones industrial average continued its slump, falling Thursday for the third time in four sessions. The 70-point decline put the blue-chip indicator more than 245 points lower for the week to date.

For details of Thursday's mixed session, click above.

The Nasdaq composite index scratched out a three-quarter point advance; for the week to date, it's less than 24 points down. (see chart for details)

Concern about oil plagued Asian-Pacific stocks, with Tokyo's Nikkei index down 1.1 percent. European markets were mixed Friday morning. (Check the latest on world markets)

Among U.S. stocks trading in Europe, Wal-Mart Stores (WMT: Research, Estimates) was up slightly. The No. 1 retailer said director Dawn Lepore has resigned from the board to head the Drugstore.com e-tailer.

Treasury prices held steady, with the 10-year note yield at 4.01 percent. The dollar was just a bit lower against the yen and just a bit higher versus the euro. Gold was down.

In corporate news, European electronics maker Philips Electronics (PHG: Research, Estimates) lowered its guidance for its semiconductor division, feeding the concern of an overall slowdown in the chip sector.

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSO: Research, Estimates) said it had entered into a new contract with the company's namesake founder, who is set to start a five-month prison term soon. In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, the company said it would not pay Stewart anything during her time in prison, but that it had a five-year contract with her to serve as chief editorial and media director of the company once she gets out.

Shares of the company gained 53 cents, or 3 percent, to $18.08 in after-hours trading following the filing.