MARKET SNAPSHOT: U.S. Stocks: Futures Rebound Ahead Of Spending Data

By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks futures indicated a higher open on Wall Street on Friday, with markets poised to rebound after Ukraine-fueled weakness the prior day, and with investors waiting for consumer spending and confidence numbers.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJU4) added 39 points, or 0.2%, to 17,116, while those for the S&P 500 index (SPU4) climbed 3.70 points, or 0.2%, to 2,000.40. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index (NDU4) put on 12.75 points, or 0.3%, to 4,082.50. All benchmarks were on track for monthly gains.

The rises came after a downbeat session on Thursday, when the S&P 500 retreated from 2,000 and halted its three-day winning streak after Kiev said Russian forces had entered Ukraine.

Data: Ahead of the open, personal-income and consumer-spending numbers are due, and both are expected to show a slowdown in growth in July. Personal income is forecast to have risen 0.3% last month, while consumer spending is expected to have inched 0.1% higher. The reports come out at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Read: To maintain robust economic growth, consumers must spend more

At 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time, the Chicago purchasing managers index for August comes out. It's forecast to climb to 57.5, from 52.6 in July, by economists polled by MarketWatch.

Then, 10 minutes later, the Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for August is slated to hit.

Earnings: On a quiet day on the earnings front, the only major release comes from Big Lots Inc. (BIG). The discount retailer reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of 31 cents a share, compared with expectations of 30 cents a share by analysts surveyed by FactSet. Revenue came in at $1.2 billion, meeting expectations.

Other markets: European stock markets were slightly higher as investors digested euro-zone inflation data. Consumer prices rose 0.3% in August, marking the lowest inflation level in almost five years. The data were in line with analysts' expectations, and the question remains as to whether the reading was weak enough to push the European Central Bank into launching new easing measures at its policy-setting meeting next week.

Stocks in Asia closed mixed. Oil prices (CLV4) climbed above $95 a barrel, while gold (GCZ4) inched lower. The dollar (DXY) rose against most rivals.

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