Weak start ahead for stocks

Fighting off the bear

One year after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, these CNNMoney.com readers are repairing their portfolios. Here's what they're doing.

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were poised for a rocky open Friday as investors paused after pushing Wall Street near its highest levels all year.

At 8:41 a.m. ET, S&P 500, Nasdaq-100 and Dow Jones industrial average futures were lower.

Futures measure current index values against their perceived future performance and offer an indication of how markets may open when trading begins.

"Today, I wouldn't be surprised to see kind of a flat market," said Dan Cook, senior market analyst at IG Markets. "People are going to be taking this time to digest and prepare for next week, when we have more of a flow of earnings coming out."

"We had a good run this week," he added. "Why wreck your weekend? Take your profit off the table."

The major U.S. indexes flirted with 2009 highs Thursday after Dow component Alcoa reported better-than-expected earnings and a report showed a surprise drop in jobless claims.

Obama: President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his role in strengthening cooperation around the world and his efforts for getting rid of nuclear weapons. The decision came as a surprise, since Obama's name had not been mentioned among the front-runners.

Bernanke: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Thursday evening that the central bank could tighten monetary policy as the economic recovery takes hold. He signaled that interest rates may rise when the economy "has improved sufficiently."

The dollar bounced off a 14-month low against major international currencies as investors mulled the possibility of higher interest rates on the horizon.

Economy: The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in August to $30.71 billion, which was a bit less than expected. A consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a deficit of $31 billion. The deficit for July was revised slightly downward to $31.85 billion.

World markets: Global indexes were mostly upbeat. Chinese shares surged 4.8% as investors returned from a week-long holiday. The Nikkei in Japan also finished in positive territory. Major European indexes were modestly higher in midday trading.

Oil: The price of oil fell 42 cents to $71.27 a barrel.