US pre-open: Futures slightly lower ahead of NFP reading

(Sharecast News) - Wall Street futures were in the red ahead of the bell on Friday as major indices retreated from their record highs a day earlier. As of 1240 GMT, Dow Jones futures were down 0.08%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 0.09% and 0.03% weaker, respectively.

The Dow closed 248.33 points lower on Thursday, taking a significant bite out of gains recorded in the previous session.

Friday's primary focus will be November's nonfarm payrolls figures at 1330 GMT, with economists expecting to see a marked increase of 214,000, up from October's rise of just 12,000.

Elsewhere on the macro front, a preliminary reading of the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index will be published at 1500 GMT, while October consumer credit change figures will follow at 2000 GMT.

In the corporate space, athletics apparel retailer Lululemon Athletica shares traded higher on the back of a quarterly earnings beat, while beauty retailer Ulta Beauty also traded higher following its own top and bottom line beat.









Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com