Futures Point To Broadly Lower Open For Wall Street

Early signs from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open broadly lower. The economic calendar is relatively quiet on Friday.

Asian shares finished mixed, while European shares are trading lower.

As of 7.30 am ET, the Dow futures were declining 40.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were down 1.75 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were adding 18.25 points.

The U.S. major averages finished the session near their best levels of the day on Thursday. The Nasdaq advanced 103.11 points or 0.9 percent to 11,904.71, while the Dow edged up 44.81 points or 0.2 percent to 29,483.23 and the S&P 500 rose 14.08 points or 0.4 percent to 3,581.87.

On the economic front, the Baker Hughes North American rig count that tracks weekly changes in the number of active operating oil & gas rigs is scheduled at 1.00 pm ET. In the previous week, the North America Rig Count was 401 and the U.S. Rig Count was $312.

Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Barkin and Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic will speak in a Chamber RVA "Shared Values Summit Session #4: Regional Leadership on Economic Mobility and Inclusive Growth" virtual event at 9.00 am ET.

The Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert Kaplan will speak in a moderated Q&A at the "Energy and the Economy: Navigating the Changing Energy Landscape" virtual event held jointly by the Dallas and Kansas City Federal Reserve Banks at 9.30 am ET.

Asian stocks ended mixed on Friday. Chinese shares advanced. The benchmark Shanghai Composite index rose 14.64 points, or 0.44 percent, to 3,377.73, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index ended up 94.57 points, or 0.36 percent, at 26,451.54.

Japanese shares ended lower for a third consecutive session. The Nikkei average fell 106.97 points, or 0.42 percent, to 25,527.37, while the broader Topix index closed marginally higher at 1,727.39.

Australian markets fluctuated before ending slightly lower. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index slipped 8 points, or 0.12 percent, to 6,539.20, while the broader All Ordinaries index ended down 2.80 points at 6,739.90.

European shares are trading mixed. Among the major indexes in the region, the CAC 40 Index of France is sliding 159.54 points or 3.37 percent. The German DAX is gaining 57.39 points or 0.44 percent, the U.K. FTSE 100 Index is gaining 30.03 points or 0.47 percent.

The Swiss Market Index is losing 10.73 points or 0.10 percent.

The Euro Stoxx 50 Index, which is a compilation of 50 blue chip stocks across the euro area, is up 0.47 percent.