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 For another gauge of the consumer, investors will be watching for the University of Michigan's final reading on October consumer sentiment, scheduled to be released at 10 a.m. EDT.
The financial sector continues to show signs of uneasiness following the summer's credit market problems. The New York Times reported that after Merrill Lynch & Co. posted its sharp third-quarter loss Wednesday, the investment bank's chairman and chief executive floated the idea of a merger with Wachovia Corp.
The credit squeeze, brought about by escalating subprime mortgage defaults, has given the banking industry trouble. Wall Street hopes the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates again when it meets next week, after cutting them in September.
Dow futures fell 10, or 0.07 percent, to 13,729. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures fell 2.00, or 0.13 percent, to 1,523.10. Nasdaq 100 index futures rose 2.50, or 0.11 percent, to 2,195.75.
Wall Street was also cautious ahead of earnings from struggling mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp.
On Thursday, stocks finished modestly lower after a volatile session that saw the Dow plunge 100 points at one point.
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 After briefly surpassing $92 a barrel in Asian trading, crude oil futures for December delivery rose 87 cents to $91.33 in pre-opening trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Gold prices rose.
The dollar fell against most other major currencies, including the euro, which reached another record high versus the U.S. currency. The dollar rose, though, against the yen.
Stock markets overseas were mostly higher.
In Asian trading, Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 1.36 percent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 1.84 percent. In European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 rose 0.61 percent, Germany's DAX index rose 0.27, and France's CAC-40 fell 0.20 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 Madlen Read]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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