U.S. stock futures edge lower as jitters remain

By Simon Kennedy, MarketWatch

Dell, Hewlett-Packard in focus; Hormel, Ann Taylor earnings due

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock market futures pointed to a slightly lower start on Wall Street Friday as investors remained wary after the previous session's disappointing data.

Dow Industrial futures fell 32 points to 10,203 and S&P 500 futures dropped 3.60 points to 1,067.70. Futures on the Nasdaq 100 were down 5.00 points at 1,815.00.

U.S. markets fell sharply Thursday after weak data on the jobs market and regional manufacturing reignited fears about the economic recovery.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA 10,271, -144.33, -1.39%)  closed down over 144 points, with all 30 components ending the day in the red.

There are no major U.S. data scheduled for release Friday, but markets will get their first chance to react to earnings from computer giants Dell Inc. (DELL 12.04, -0.15, -1.23%)  and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ 40.76, -0.60, -1.45%) , which both announced their latest figures after Thursday's closing bell.

Dell reported a 15.5% rise in second-quarter profit, helped by increasing demand for servers and networking systems. Adjusted earnings were 32 cents a share, topping the 30 cents consensus forecast, while the company stuck to its third-quarter forecasts. See full story on Dell's earnings.

H-P reported a 6% rise in profit, having already released preliminary results when it announced the resignation of Chief Executive Mark Hurd earlier in August. See story on H-P results.

Among companies due to report results Friday, Hormel Foods Corp. (HRL 43.37, -0.24, -0.55%)  is forecast to post fiscal third-quarter earnings of 61 cents a share.

Ann Taylor Stores Corp. (ANN 15.47, -0.49, -3.07%)  will also report earnings, with analysts, on average, expecting the company to announce second-quarter earnings of 32 cents a share.

Other stocks that could see active trading include Tyco International (TYC 36.74, -0.73, -1.95%) , after Standard & Poor's said the company will replace Smith International Inc. (SII 40.17, -1.01, -2.45%)  in the S&P 500 index.

Shares in Gap Inc. (GPS 17.71, -0.27, -1.50%)  could rise after it reported forecast-beating earnings late Thursday and unveiled a $750 million stock buyback plan.

The dollar gained against other major currencies, adding 0.2% against the yen at 85.396 yen. The euro fell 0.5% to $1.27445.

Oil futures fell, with the September-dated light crude-oil contract dropping 40 cents to $74.03 a barrel in electronic trading.

In international markets, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 index fell 0.5% and Japan's Nikkei 225 average fell sharply to close down around 2%.

Simon Kennedy is the City correspondent for MarketWatch in London.