Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower open on Friday, as markets were jittery ahead of the release of U.S. economic growth data later in the day, while comments by Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen on Thursday slightly weighed.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.14% loss, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.16% fall, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.19% decline.
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Thursday said the central bank will probably continue tapering its asset purchases while tracking data to figure how much recent softness in the economy is due to the weather.
Ms. Yellen was speaking in testimony to the Senate banking committee in Washington.
Investors also remained cautious amid tensions in Crimea, after armed men seized the local parliament on Thursday and raised the Russian flag.
The events occurred after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered 150,000 Russian troops to begin military exercises in central and western Russia, near the border with Ukraine.
Tech stocks were expected to be active, after Apple won the dismissal of a $2.2 billion lawsuit in Germany over technology used to decide priority for calls in mobile networks. Shares in the iPhone maker were up 0.25% in pre-market trade.
International Business Machines edged up 0.12% in extended trading, as the compay began dismissing U.S. workers on Thursday, in part of a $1 billion restructuring plan to help IBM meet profit goals.
Salesforce.com jumped 1.09% pre-market after the maker of customer-management software forecast fiscal first-quarter sales that may top analysts’ estimates.
PepsiCo was also likely to be in the spotlight, as shares added 0.28% after hours, after the company's board rejected activist investor Nelson Peltz's demand to split the firm's snacks and beverages units, supporting a stance taken by Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi.
Elsewhere, airline company United Continental Holdings plummeted 3.72% in late trading after saying winter storms that forced the cancellation of more than 22,500 flights will weigh on revenue this quarter.
Other stocks likely to be in focus included 3-D Systems, Liberty Media, Liberty Interactive, Pepco Holdings, Iron Mountain and Aqua America, scheduled to report quarterly earnings later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mostly lower. The EURO STOXX 50 declined 0.43%, France’s CAC 40 slid 0.31%, Germany's DAX inched 0.01% higher, while Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.11%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index eased up 0.04%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index dropped 0.55%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release revised data on fourth quarter growth, as well as a report on manufacturing activity in the Chicago region, revised data on consumer sentiment and private sector data on pending home sales.