Weak open seen for Wall Street
Investors express caution ahead of chain-store sales. Cisco's upbeat outlook may boost techs.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were expected to open lower Thursday, as investors remained jittery ahead of a flurry of economic data.
S&P 500, Nasdaq-100 and Dow Jones industrial average futures were little changed ahead of the opening bell.
Futures measure current index values against their perceived future performance and offer an indication of how markets may open when trading begins.
U.S. stocks have been volatile recently amid concerns about the economy and banking sector. On Wednesday, Wall Street ended mixed after the Federal Reserve left its key interest rate near 0% and said it expected rates to remain at that level for some time.
Economy: Investors were awaiting a series of economic readings before Thursday's opening bell including October chain-store sales which will be released throughout the morning.
Also in focus in a a weekly report on jobless claims, which is due out at 8:30 a.m. ET.
That could give Wall Street a better sense of how Friday's all-important monthly employment report for October might turn out. Economists are currently expecting the economy to have lost another 166,000 jobs during the month.
All that has made for a pretty nervous atmosphere among investors, said Dan Cook, senior market analyst at IG Markets.
"I think everybody is taking a 'wait-and-see' attitude," he said.
Late Wednesday, the Senate voted to extend unemployment benefits by up to 20 weeks and to extend the $8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit.
Earnings: Cisco (CSCO, Fortune 500) delivered better-than-expected profits late Wednesday and said its business was recovering.
Automaker Toyota (TM) reported a surprise quarterly profit Thursday, while it issued a more upbeat forecast for its full-year results.
In other earnings news, Time Warner Cable (TWC) reported an 11% decline in its third-quarter profits, which were slightly better than analysts' estimates.
Also due to report before Thursday's opening bell were Cardinal Health (CAH, Fortune 500) and CVS Caremark (CVS, Fortune 500).
World markets: Asian stocks retreated, with Japan's Nikkei posting a 1.3% decline. Major European indexes dipped in midday trading.
In currency trading, the dollar was up against the euro and the British pound but declined against the yen.
And crude prices were lower Thursday, as oil fell 45 cents to $79.95 a barrel. 
