US pre-open: Futures point to modest losses before final session of the year

Wall Street futures were in the red ahead of the bell on Friday as the roughest year for stocks in 14 years gets set to draw to a close.

As of 1200 GMT, Dow Jones futures were down 0.27%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 0.32% and 0.36% lower, respectively.

The Dow closed 345.09 points higher on Thursday, almost erasing losses recorded in the previous session.

While Dow Jones and S&P 500 futures had the indices on course for a modest weekly gain, all three major averages were still firmly in the red for the month as a whole, snapping a two-month winning streak at the end of a rough year for stocks.

However, the Dow Jones will likely end the quarter more than 15% higher, breaking a three-month losing streak in what will be its strongest quarter since Q2 2020.

On the macro front, December's Chicago purchasing managers index will be published at 1445 GMT.

No major corporate earnings were slated for release on Friday.

Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com