U.S. stock futures point to a weak opening Friday morning on increasing concerns about slowdown in economy as traders look for direction after three days of losses. A slew of economic data related to inflation, retail sales, business inventories and consumer sentiment will be in traders' focus. Positive GDP data from the euro zone nations and a rebound by the rest of the global markets may impact market sentiment.
As at 6:15 a.m. ET, the Dow futures were down 25.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were down 3.90 points, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 futures were down 7.50 points.
On the economic front, the Labor Department will table the consumer price index for July at 8.30 a.m. ET. Economists expect that inflation rose 0.2% for July following the 0.1% decline in the previous month, while core inflation, excluding food and energy, is expected to be 0.1% following a 0.2% rate in June.
The Commerce Department will release its report on retail sales for July at 8.30 a.m. ET. Economists expect that retail sales rose 0.5% for the month following 0.5% decline in the previous month, while retail sales, excluding auto sales, are estimated to have increased 0.2% following 0.1% decline in the previous month.
At 9.55 a.m. ET, the preliminary report of the Reuters/University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey for August will be released. Economists expect the consumer sentiment index to increase to 70 from July's 67.80.
At 10.00 a.m. ET, the Commerce Department will table its report on business inventories for June. The consensus estimate calls for a 0.2% increase in business inventories for the month following a 0.1% gain in the previous month.
In other global economic news, Germany, the largest economy in the Eurozone, revealed that GDP rose 2.2% sequentially in the second quarter, following a 0.5% increase in the first quarter, and well above the consensus estimate of 1.3% growth.
Traders' focus will be on JC Penny (JCP) which will release its quarterly results before the market opens for trading.
Traders might also react to earnings/announcements made after the markets closed in the previous session.
Fashion specialty retailer Nordstrom Inc. (JWN) said that its profit rose 38.6% in the second quarter as consumer spending continued to improve resulting in a 8.4% increase in same-store sales. Profit came in line with estimates.
Design software maker Autodesk, Inc. (ADSK) said that its second quarter profit jumped more than five-folds over last year, driven mainly by higher revenue and fewer restructuring charges. The company's quarterly earnings per share, excluding items, also handily beat analysts' estimate.
Oil Light sweet crude oil for September delivery is presently quoted at $75.86 a barrel, up $0.12 a barrel from its previous close of $75.84 a barrel in New York on Thursday.
Dollar The US dollar is trading weaker against the yen, but recovering against the euro and the pound.
World Markets Asian markets ended the trading session Friday, the last day of the trading week, in positive territory as traders resorted to bargain hunting at lower levels, taking cues from Wall Street where the major averages recovered from the day's lows and ended with modest losses in the previous session. Trading volumes were relatively less as most of the traders preferred to stay on the sidelines awaiting direction from the US. The European markets pared much of the early gains and are presently trading in negative territory ahead of economic data in the US.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.