Ahead of the start of regular trading on Friday the 13th, the Dow Jones industrial average index futures were only marginally higher, while the Nasdaq composite index futures were up 0.3% and the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures were also up 0.3%.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 104.10 points, or 0.7%, to 15,739.43 and the Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 6.72 points, or 0.4%, to 1,775.50. The Nasdaq composite index fell back below the 4,000 mark,dropping 5.41 points, or 0.1%, to 3,998.40.
THURSDAY: Stocks drop for third straight day
Rising futures may point to an end to three straight days of losses for the major indexes, but investors remain tentative ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision next week on whether to reduce its monetary stimulus. Any tapering is expected to be accompanied by a renewed commitment by the Fed to keep interest rates low. That, analysts say, helps explain why stock markets are still trading at relative highs and why bond markets aren't too volatile.
Investors will also be watching the markets' reaction to the passage of a budget agreement in the House, potentially putting off the threat of a government shutdown until at least fiscal year 2015.
In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 finished strong rising 0.4% to 15,403.11 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.1% to 23,245.96.
European benchmarks were mostly higher Friday, with Germany's DAX index up 0.1% and France's CAC-40 index up 0.2%, although Britain's FTSE 100 was down 0.1%.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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