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 Meanwhile, Barclays Capital became the latest financial institution to record a write-down on losses stemming from turbulent credit markets. The unit of Barclays Group PLC took a $2.7 billion charge in the third quarter but the also said Thursday that its profit beat last year's strong performance.
Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 39, or 0.30 percent, to 13,236. Standard & Poor's 500 futures fell 5.60, or 0.38 percent, to 1,472.50. Nasdaq 100 index futures dropped 17.25, or 0.84 percent, to 2,040.25.
Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 4.24 percent from 4.25 percent late Wednesday.
Investors were also awaiting the Labor Department's October report on the consumer price index, a gauge of the inflation consumers face on food, energy and other products. Analysts surveyed by Thomson/IFR expect a 0.3 percent increase in the CPI, on par with September's rise.
Oil prices slipped in pre-opening trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, where a barrel of light, sweet crude dipped 23 cents to $93.86. Gold prices fell as the dollar strengthened.
Major stock indexes in Europe slumped. Britain's FTSE 100 declined 0.93 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 1.14 percent, while France's CAC-40 shed 1.17 percent. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei stock average closed down 0.67 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 1.42 percent.
[Associated Press; By LAUREN VILLAGRAN]
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