NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were poised for a lackluster open Friday, as investors seemed unfazed by stronger-than-expected earnings reports and showed a mild reaction to a key inflation report.
Dow Jones industrial average, Nasdaq-100 and S&P-500 futures were lower, but they recovered slightly following a report that inflation rose slightly less than expected last month.
Futures measure current index values against their perceived future performance and offer an indication of how markets may open when trading begins.
Robert Brusca, chief economist at Fact and Opinion Economics, said he was "disappointed" with Thursday's report on retail sales in December, but the better-than-expected quarterly results from Intel and JPMorgan Chase are signs that brighter times lie ahead, despite the slump in futures.
"I think it's a harbinger of good times for the future," he said. "The headwinds are vastly dissipated."
Earnings: Financial services firm JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) reported earnings per share of 75 cents, which is better than the 61 cents expected by analysts, according to a consensus from Thomson Reuters. Revenue of $26.8 billion was also better than the expected $26 billion.
After U.S. markets closed Thursday, Intel (INTC, Fortune 500) issued upbeat quarterly financial results. The chipmaker's earnings and sales topped Wall Street's estimates.
Economy: The Consumer Price Index, a key inflation reading, showed a less-than-expected increase of 0.1% for December. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com expected an increase of 0.2%, compared to a rise of 0.4% the prior month.
The core CPI for December also rose 0.1%.
A report on industrial production and capacity is also due out Friday, as is the University of Michigan's report on consumer sentiment.
World markets: Asian shares finished mixed. Japan's Nikkei ended in positive territory while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell. European stock indexes were lower in midday trading, losing their earlier momentum.
Money and bonds: The dollar was higher against all major international currencies except the yen. The price of the 10-year note rose, pushing down the yield to 3.7%.
Gold and oil: The price of gold fell $9 to $1,134 per ounce. The price of oil fell 37 cents per barrel to $79.02.
Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
---|---|---|---|
30 yr fixed | 3.80% | 3.88% | |
15 yr fixed | 3.20% | 3.23% | |
5/1 ARM | 3.84% | 3.88% | |
30 yr refi | 3.82% | 3.93% | |
15 yr refi | 3.20% | 3.23% |
Today's featured rates:
Index | Last | Change | % Change |
---|---|---|---|
Dow | 32,627.97 | -234.33 | -0.71% |
Nasdaq | 13,215.24 | 99.07 | 0.76% |
S&P 500 | 3,913.10 | -2.36 | -0.06% |
Treasuries | 1.73 | 0.00 | 0.12% |
Company | Price | Change | % Change |
---|---|---|---|
Ford Motor Co | 8.29 | 0.05 | 0.61% |
Advanced Micro Devic... | 54.59 | 0.70 | 1.30% |
Cisco Systems Inc | 47.49 | -2.44 | -4.89% |
General Electric Co | 13.00 | -0.16 | -1.22% |
Kraft Heinz Co | 27.84 | -2.20 | -7.32% |
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