US Stock Futures Look Set For A Mixed Start On Day Devoid Of Much Direction In The Form Of Earnings; Industrial Production And Consumer Sentiment Numbers To Be Watched

As the U.S. east coast prepares for more snow, slush, ice and general wintry weather, investors might be hard pressed to glean direction from the handful of earnings and data points slated for a Friday release. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.01 percent but futures on the S&P 500 were up 0.03 percent while those on the Nasdaq were up 0.08 percent. On Thursday, the Dow rose 0.4 percent and the S&P 500 climbed 0.58 percent while the Nasdaq rose nearly 1 percent.