U.S. stock futures pointed to a flat start on Friday ahead of the gross domestic product figure, as the slowing earnings period has investors turning attention to economic figures for the third quarter. On the corporate news front, personal computer maker Gateway Inc.'s shares jumped 12 percent in after-hours trading on Thursday having posted its first operating profit in nearly three years. Shares of Aon Corp. face pressure a day after the company said its quarterly earnings fell. In addition, the company said its halt of contingent commissions led it to withdraw its earnings per share outlook for the full year. The insurance industry's use of commissions has come under heavy scrutiny by the New York attorney general's office. S&P 500 futures were down a 0.8 point, even with fair value accounting for dividends, interest rates and time to expiration on the contract.
Dow Jones industrial index futures were down 12 points, while Nasdaq 100 futures edged down 2 points. The market will take a close look at whether the third-quarter gross domestic product figure meets economist forecasts of a 4.2 percent rise when it is released at 8:30 a.m. (1230 GMT). "The story today will be what the GDP number looks like. If it comes in as expected and we get another down day in oil, I think the market is going to hold these gains," said Barry Hyman, chief investment strategist at Ehrenkrantz, King, Nussbaum. "I think the weak futures we're seeing is just nervousness before the GDP number hits," Hyman said. Flat oil prices are likely to lend support to stocks as U.S. oil prices fell to $50.99 a barrel having hovered around $55 a barrel earlier in the week. High oil prices have sparked concerns that soaring energy costs will damage corporate profits and slow economic growth. The final University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for October and the Purchasing Management Index for the Chicago area will also be of interest, due at 9:45 a.m. (1345 GMT) and 10 a.m. (1400 GMT) respectively. U.S. stocks finished slightly higher on Thursday as lower crude oil prices offset the impact of China's first rate increase in nine years. The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> rose 2.51 points, or 0.03 percent, to end at 10,004.54. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> added 2.04 points, or 0.18 percent, to close at 1,127.44. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> gained 5.75 points, or 0.29 percent, to end at 1,975.74.///