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 The Labor Department will report at 8:30 EST data that is expected to show the unemployment rate rose slightly in November. Economists polled by Thomson Financial predict unemployment rose to 4.8 percent from 4.7 percent in the previous month, and that payrolls grew by 100,000 compared to 166,000 in October.
Other employment readings this week were mixed. Weekly jobless claims from the department were weak. Meanwhile, a private sector report on labor market strength projected that business payrolls increased by a better-than-expected 189,000 in November.
Investors got some relief Thursday from concerns about the housing slump and credit crisis when the White House offered a plan to prevent home foreclosures. Stocks rallied for the second-straight session, with the Dow Jones industrial average up 174 points.
Dow futures fell 19, or 0.08 percent, to 13,599 early Friday. The Standard & Poor's index futures shed 0.70, or 0.05 percent, to 1,406.60, and the Nasdaq composite index dropped 2.25, or 0.11 percent, to 2,123.75.
Bond prices were slightly higher. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 4.00 percent from 4.02 percent late Thursday. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.
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 Light, sweet crude fell 28 cents to $89.95 per barrel in premarket electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Government data released earlier this week showed an increase in U.S. supplies of gasoline and distillates.
In corporate news, James Murdoch was appointed News Corp.'s chairman and chief executive for Europe and Asia, officials said Friday. This most likely positions him as a successor to his father, Rupert Murdoch.
Handheld maker Palm Inc. is expected to drop in regular trading after the Treo maker cut its revenue outlook because of shipping delays. And, gun maker Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. could edge lower after cutting its 2008 outlook.
Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average closed up 0.52 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 2.42 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 added 1.05 percent, Germany's DAX index rose 0.67 percent, and France's CAC-40 increased 0.95 percent.
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On the Net:
New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com/
Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com/
[Associated Press; By JOE BEL BRUNO]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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