Stocks head for lackluster open

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. stocks were poised to open little changed Friday, as investors remain reluctant to place big bets following the recent run up.

Markets may also be a bit volatile due to quadruple witching -- a quarterly event when stock index futures and options and individual stock futures and options all expire at the same time.

Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq 100 futures were slightly higher ahead of the opening bell.

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

Stocks closed mostly higher Thursday, with all three major indexes ending at an 18-month high, as investors welcomed reports that suggest pricing pressure remains mild and that jobless claims fell last week.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) has now ended higher for eight straight sessions, matching the winning streak that ended on Aug. 27 of last year.

"Some investors are concerned it's been a long rally and some kind of retrenchment is needed," said Robert Brusca, chief economist at Fact and Opinion Economics. "But the economy is doing well, so the stock market can be underpinned at a higher level."

Economy: No economic reports were on tap for Friday, after Thursday's heavy influx of data on inflation, jobless claims and manufacturing.

Quadruple witching: The event can lead to wide fluctuations in prices of the underlying stocks and increased volatility in the broader market. But recently the witching's impact tends to be spread throughout the week, rather than hitting in the last hour of the session Friday, as was once the case.

Companies: After the closing bell Thursday, smart phone maker Palm (PALM) reported a loss of 61 cents per share for the quarter ended Feb. 28. Analysts expected a loss of only 43 cents per share. Palm has not posted a quarterly profit since the fourth fiscal quarter of 2007.

World markets: Asian stocks ended higher. Japan's Nikkei index rose 0.8% and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong hiked 0.2%.

In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100, France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX were up in afternoon trading.

The dollar and commodities: The dollar rose against the euro, pound and yen on lingering concerns about Greek debt.

Crude oil for April delivery fell 51 cents to $81.69 a barrel, and the price of gold for April delivery decreased $4.50 an ounce to $1,123.00.

Treasurys: The price of the benchmark 10-year note rose its yield fell to 3.67%. Treasury prices and yields move in opposite directions.