U.S. stock futures signal higher Wall St. open
* The Labor Department releases import-export prices for
September. Economists predicted a 0.3 percent drop in import
prices and a 0.2 percent increase in export prices. In August,
import prices fell 0.4 percent and export prices were up 0.5
percent.* Top toymaker Mattel reports results for the third
quarter. Investors will look for signs of its ability to sustain
margins in the face of high product and labor costs, and its
view of sales in the holiday season.* At 1355 GMT, Thomson Michigan
Surveys of Consumers release preliminary October consumer
sentiment index. Economists expected a reading of 60.2, compared
with 59.4 in the final September report.* Beverage and snack food maker PepsiCo is close to
setting up a joint venture with German dairy company Theo Muller
Group in an effort to break into the fast-growing yogurt
business, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people
briefed on the matter.* The Commerce Department issues at 1400 GMT Business
Inventories for August. Economists in a Reuters survey expected
a rise of 0.4 percent, a repeat of the July increase.* Apple’s latest iPhone went on sale on Friday.* At 1430 GMT, Economic Cycle Research Institute releases
its weekly index of economic activity for Oct. 7. In the prior
week the index read 121.2.* Google’s results trounced Wall Street
expectations with the help of strong advertising sales and deft
cost controls, driving its shares roughly 6 percent higher on
Thursday.* The euro zone debt crisis will dominate a summit of G20
finance chiefs and central bank heads in Paris, with a downgrade
of Spain’s credit rating highlighting the risk of a much larger
economy than Greece coming under threat.* Standard and Poor’s cut Spain’s credit rating on Friday,
sending the euro lower and underlining the challenges facing
Europe’s big powers as they prepare to meet G20 counterparts
over the euro-zone debt crisis.* China’s consumer inflation dipped to 6.1 percent in
September, retreating further from three-year highs, although
stubborn food price pressures will deter the central bank from
loosening its policy reins anytime soon.* Fitch downgraded Swiss bank UBS on Thursday and
said it was also reviewing ratings for Barclays , BNP
Paribas , Credit Suisse Group AG , Deutsche
Bank , Societe Generale , Bank of America
Corp , Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs .* European shares rose on Friday morning after Google’s
results helped ease worries about the growth outlook for
technology companies. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300
index of top shares was up 0.6 percent.* The Dow and S&P 500 slipped on Thursday after JPMorgan’s
earnings and China’s soft trade data revived worries about the
impact of slower growth on profits.* The Dow Jones industrial average fell 40.72 points,
or 0.4 percent, to end at 11,478.13. The Standard & Poor’s 500
Index shed 3.59 points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,203.66. But
the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 15.51 points, or 0.0
percent, to close at 2,620.24.