US Stock Futures: HOT STOCKS TO WATCH

Among the companies whose shares are expected to actively trade in Friday's session is AMR Corp. (AMR) and Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD).

New York Stock Exchange regulators said it will delist the common stock of AMR Corp. before the opening bell on Jan. 5., saying that it is "no longer suitable" for listing. NYSE Regulation cited reasons including the timing and outcome of last month's bankruptcy filing as well as the company's sharply weakened share price. Shares plunged 40% to 31 cents in recent premarket trading.

Fitch Ratings slashed its ratings on Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) Thursday and kept the door open for further cuts deeper into junk, after the retailer warned of disappointing holiday sales earlier this week. Shares of Sears slipped 1.2% to $32.50 in light premarket trading.

 
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Activist investor Bill Ackman, whose Pershing Square Capital Management LP hedge fund holds a 14.2% stake in Canadian Pacific Railway (CP, CP.T), wants to oust the railroad's chief executive and has pushed its board to hire a former CEO, the Globe and Mail reported Friday on its website, citing people familiar with the hedge fund's strategy.

Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. (PTEN) said it expects to record an $11.3 million charge as a result of the retirement of 31 drilling rigs this month.

Samsung Electronics Co. (SSNHY, 005930.SE) strengthened its lead as the top handset maker in the U.S. during the three months ended in November, while Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Android platform expanded its dominance of the U.S. smartphone market, according to industry tracker comScore Inc. (SCOR).

-Edited by Corrie Driebusch and Ian Thomson; write to [e-mail] and [e-mail]