US stock futures point to slightly lower open
The U.S. stock market appeared poised for a slightly lower session Friday after a rough fall the day before. The three major indexes lost more than 1 percent on Thursday, making it the worst day for the market in six weeks.
KEEPING SCORE: As of 8:50 a.m. Eastern time, Dow Jones industrial average futures were down 36 points, or 0.2 percent, to 16,011. Standard & Poor's 500 index futures were down four points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,836. Nasdaq futures were down four points, or 0.1 percent, to 3,640.
PRICE WATCH: The Labor Department said Friday that the prices companies are paid for goods and services fell slightly in February, the latest sign of tame inflation. The producer price index, a measure of prices before they reach shoppers, dropped 0.1 percent in February. It was the first slip since November.
RETAIL RESULTS: Aeropostale slumped 17 percent ahead of the opening bell, after it reported a wider loss late Thursday. The operator of clothing stores for teenagers also warned of tough times ahead.
EUROPE: Major European stock markets were heading lower. In the U.K., the FTSE 100 index was down 0.6 percent while Germany's DAX fell 0.7 percent. The CAC-40 in France was 1.3 percent lower. In Russia, the main RTS index took a hard fall, dropping 3 percent. For the year, the index is down 28 percent.
ASIA: Japan's Nikkei 225 stock had a particularly bad session, falling 3.3 percent. As a result, the index ended the week 6 percent lower. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 1 percent.