MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stocks: Nasdaq Futures Looks Weak As Amazon Tumbles

By Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch

MADRID (MarketWatch) -- Stock futures leaned lower Friday, as Amazon.com Inc. tumbled in premarket trade after disappointing results and Xerox Corp. and Starbucks Corp. also down post-earnings.

A single piece of economic data -- orders for durable goods -- awaits investors.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJU4) fell 17 points to 16,981, while those for the S&P 500 index (SPU4) eased 3 points to 1,977.70. Bigger pain was showing up on futures for the Nasdaq-100 index (NDU4), down 11.25 points, or 0.3%, to 3,960.60.

Investors howled with disappointment over Amazon.com(AMZN) and a wider-than-expected second-quarter loss late Thursday. In thin, premarket volume, shares were down 10%. Also read: Is Amazon spending like a drunken sailor?

Pandora Media(P) dived 7% in premarket action, after the Internet-based radio company posted wider losses late Thursday.

Starbucks Corp.(SBUX) was another loser, off 2.5% in premarket. The company posted a 22% profit rise and lifted its outlook. But some viewed its 2015 outlook as cautious.

Xerox (XRX)(XRX) shares fell 2% in premarket. Second-quarter earnings fell as revenue from its document-technology business continued to fall.

The day's trading debuts include fast-food chain El Pollo Loco(LOCO), which priced shares at $15, the top of the range.

Investors will also be watching Cynk Technology (CYNK) , which will resume trading after the Securities and Exchange Commission suspended trading in the stock earlier this month.

At 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, a report on durable-goods orders for June will be released. Economists polled by MarketWatch expect orders rose 0.2%, which would reverse a 1% decline in May. The report is often volatile, with swings reported from one month to the next.

Next week has the potential to be big for economic news, with a Federal Open Market Committee meeting and the monthly jobs report topping a long list of data on the docket.

Some analysts said markets could make slow progress on Friday, given investors may be nervous about the potential for more geopolitical tensions from Russia or Gaza through the weekend. Read: U.S. says Russian artillery firing into Ukraine.

The S&P 500 (SPX) closed on Thursday at an all-time high for the 27th time this year, but the Dow industrials (DJI) and Nasdaq Composite (RIXF) both ended the day slightly lower.

Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at AvaTrade, said U.S. indexes have started to show signs of divergence.

"Technically speaking, when indexes have a divergence between them, it is an early sign of correction, and under the situation when one index is moving up and the rest moving in the opposite direction, it is like a smoke coming out before the fire," said Aslam in emailed comments.

European stocks drifted into the red on Friday, with German stocks under pressure after weaker-than-expected German Ifo business sentiment data. The blue-chip MICEX in Russia fell 1.5%. Russia's central bank hiked interest rates on Friday, citing geopolitical tensions and the potential impact on the ruble and rising inflation as reasons. The European Commission submitted proposals on new sanctions for Russia linked to the Ukraine crisis on Thursday.

In Asia, the Nikkei 225 index rallied more than 1% on Friday to the highest settlement in six months, as the yen weakened and domestic inflation data met market expectations. China's Shanghai Composite also put on a strong performance, up 1.1%.

Crude oil (CLU4) was flat, and gold (GCU4) was slightly higher. The euro (EURUSD) fell against the dollar after the weak German Ifo data.

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