By Carla Mozee, MarketWatch
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures indicated losses for
Wall Street on Thursday, with investors looking for a weekly
labor-market update to help gauge the timing of an interest-rate
increase by the Federal Reserve.
The market will also sift through quarterly results from
supermarket chain operator Kroger Co. for a snapshot on consumer
spending.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJU4) fell 49
points, or 0.3%, to 17,009, while those for the S&P 500 index
(SPU4) shed 5.7 points, or 0.3%, to 1,989. Nasdaq 100 index futures
(NDU4) fell 8 points, or 0.2%, to 4,085.
Data: The Labor Department's report on weekly jobless claims is
due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. Economists polled by MarketWatch expect
first-time claims for unemployment benefits to dip to 301,000 from
302,000.
The four-week moving average of initial claims has been trending
slightly higher, and a Thursday reading above 300,000 "would give a
bit more weight to last week's disappointing payrolls report," said
analysts at Rabobank in a note. Last week, the government said
142,000 jobs were created in August, well below expectations of
228,000 jobs in a MarketWatch poll.
The weaker-than-expected jobs figure had spurred speculation
that the Fed would hold off on raising interest rates. But a recent
string of increases in yields on U.S. Treasurys now reflect
concerns that the Fed at next week's meeting may signal that a rate
hike is in store during the first quarter of 2015.
At 10 a.m. Eastern, the Treasury is likely to report that the
federal government showed a smaller deficit in August compared with
same month in 2013.
Stocks on Wednesday closed higher, aided by Apple Inc. (AAPL)
and other tech stocks, but the rate-increase worries had weighed on
Wall Street earlier in the session. The S&P 500 SPX (SPX) rose
0.4% and the Nasdaq Composite (RIXF) gained 0.8%.
Stocks to watch: RadioShack (RSH) shares leapt 16% in premarket
trade as the electronics retailer said it's in advanced talks with
a number of parties over its strategic options. Actions may include
debt restructuring and store consolidations.
Shares of Lululemon (LULU) jumped 14% ahead of the regular
session after the yoga-gear maker raised its outlook following
second-quarter results beat expectations.
Kroger (KR) is projected to post earnings of 69 cents a share
for the second quarter, according to a consensus survey by FactSet.
(Read more about the day's notable movers here:
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/restoration-hardware-kroger-lululemon-in-spotlight-2014-09-11.)
Other markets: Hong Kong stocks extended their losing streak to
five sessions, while European stocks were mixed. Gold prices (GCZ4)
were modestly higher, and oil futures (CLV4) fell after
International Energy Agency again cut its oil-demand forecast for
this year.
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