MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stocks: Wall Street Set For Solid Day, With Consumer Data On Tap

By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch

Zynga slides premarket after earnings

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks were poised for another upbeat trading day on Friday, with stock futures mirroring gains in Europe and Asia, with consumer sentiment and import-price data on tap to give clues to the health of the U.S. economy.

Futures for the S&P 500 index (SPH5) added 4.20 points, or 0.2%, to 2,088.30, indicating that the benchmark could nudge a record close. The index on Thursday closed just 0.1% shy of its all-time closing high of 2,090.57 hit in late December, after a solid session on Wall Street fueled by a cease-fire agreement between Russia and Ukraine and a pickup in oil prices and merger news.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJH5) added 42 points, or 0.2%, to 17,974 on Friday, while those for the Nasdaq 100 index (NDH5) climbed 13.50 points, or 0.3%, to 4,358.25. The Nasdaq ended at its highest level since 2000 on Thursday.

Data: After a data-heavy Thursday, Friday brings only the import-price index, due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, followed by consumer sentiment at 9:55 a.m. Eastern.

Analysts at Société Générale said they expect import prices to have dropped 3.7% in January, which would mark the largest decline in six years. The slide in foreign petroleum costs, lower metals prices and the impact of a stronger dollar all weaken import prices, they said.

For consumer sentiment, economists polled by MarketWatch see a slight improvement to 98.5 in February, from 98.1 in January.

Investors will also be looking for the weekly Baker Hughes (BHI) rig-count data for any clues to whether oil production in the U.S. is slowing down. Oil futures (CLH5) were up 1.7%.

Getting set to retire, Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher will give a speech reflecting on his Fed career at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Earnings: Reporting ahead of the bell, food company J.M. Smucker Co.(SJM) is expected to post earnings of $1.51 a share on sales of $1.47 billion.

Interpublic Group of Cos.(IPG) is expected to report earnings of 58 cents a share on sales of $2.2 billion, according to a survey of analysts by FactSet.

Movers and shakers: Zynga Inc. (ZNGA) slumped 13% premarket after the games-maker said late Thursday its fourth-quarter loss widened to $45.1 million, or 5 cents a share, from a loss of $25.2 million, or 3 cents a share, in the year-earlier period.

Groupon Inc. (GRPN) fell 2.1% ahead of the bell after the online deal company on Thursday issued a weak outlook.

American International Group Inc. (AIG) could be active after its fourth-quarter earnings fell short of estimates.

CBS Corp. (CBS) could also attract attention after it said late Thursday its fourth-quarter profit fell to $413 million, or 79 cents a share, from $470 million, or 76 cents a share, for the same period a year ago, but revenue rose to $3.68 billion from $3.57 billion.

CyberArk Software Ltd. (CYBR) rallied 17% in premarket action after a solid fourth-quarter report released late Thursday.

Other markets: European stock markets posted solid gains after better-than-expected fourth-quarter economic growth numbers, and as Greece and its creditors showed signs of warming up to each other in the deadlock over debt payments.

Asian markets closed mostly higher, with the Hong Kong market posting its biggest gain in three weeks.

Metals (GCG5) were on the rise, while the dollar (DXY) traded mixed against other major currencies.

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