Stock futures lower ahead of economic reports

[February 04, 2010]  TOKYO (AP) -- Stock futures are mostly lower ahead of an earnings report from JPMorgan Chase and government readings on consumer prices and industrial production.

Banking giant JPMorgan Chase & Co. is expected to report on its fourth-quarter earnings before the market opens Friday.

Intel, the biggest computer chip maker, surprised investors late Thursday by reporting one of the most profitable quarters in its history. Global markets rose modestly on the news.

Also before the market opens, the government provides fresh readings on how the economy fared in December with reports on consumer prices and industrial production.

Dow Jones industrial average futures are down 22, or 0.2 percent, at 10,641. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures are down 3.20, or 0.3 percent, at 1,142.00, while Nasdaq 100 index futures are up 0.25, or less than 0.1 percent, at 1,888.50.

[Associated Press; By IEVA M. AUGSTUMS]

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