US pre-open: Futures trade higher ahead of Q3 bank earnings
Wall Street futures were in the green ahead of the bell on Friday as market participants patiently awaited earnings from a number of the nation's biggest names in banking.
As of 1200 BST, Dow Jones futures were up 0.40%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures had the indices opening 0.30% and 0.16% firmer, respectively.
The Dow closed 827.87 points higher in the previous session despite a hotter-than-expected inflation reading from the Labor Department.
Friday's primary focus will be US retail sales data, due out at 1330 BST, with many market participants believing that the report offers one of the truest pictures of investor confidence.
AvaTrade's Naeem Aslam said: "US futures are trading higher, and traders are ready to pick up where they left off yesterday.
"There is no doubt that higher interest rates and soaring inflation have pushed consumers into the corner, and this leaves a small window open for any optimism around the US retail numbers. However, if the data shows that consumers are bold and they are investing, we are highly likely to see a strong rally for the US market.
Also on the macro front, August business inventory data and a preliminary reading of the University of Michigan's October consumer sentiment index will be published at 1500 BST.
In the corporate space, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and US Bancorp will all report earnings before the start of trading.
Reporting by Iain Gilbert at Sharecast.com