US futures mixed ahead of jobs report
US stock futures mixed ahead of jobs report and strong earnings from US corporations
In this Monday, July 15, 2013, photo, the American flag and a sign for Wall St. are shown outside the New York Stock Exchange, in New York. Stocks continued to rise Thursday July 18, 2013 after the U.S. Federal Reserve said it will extend its stimulus policies if necessary, though Chinese markets were overshadowed by uncertainty over the country's economic outlook. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
NEW YORK (AP) -- Stock futures are mixed ahead of a report expected to show that fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week.
UnitedHealth, Morgan Stanley and Fifth Third Bancorp also reported strong quarterly earnings Thursday.
Dow Jones industrial futures are up a point to 15,441. S&P futures have added 1.7 points to 1,677.30. Nasdaq futures are down 3.25 points to 3,076.
Economists expect weekly unemployment benefits applications fell 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 340,000, reversing a big jump in the previous week.
The report will be released by the Labor Department at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
Other companies posting earnings include Google, Microsoft and Union Pacific.
Markets in Europe are mixed. Asian markets are still being dragged down by a report from China earlier this week that its economy grew more slowly for a second straight quarter.
