Advertisement
New Zealand markets closed

  • NZX 50

    11,864.89
    -7.75 (-0.07%)
     

  • NZD/USD

    0.6124
    -0.0047 (-0.77%)
     

  • NZD/EUR

    0.5732
    -0.0009 (-0.16%)
     

  • ALL ORDS

    7,974.80
    -27.70 (-0.35%)
     

  • ASX 200

    7,724.30
    -25.40 (-0.33%)
     

  • OIL

    78.89
    +0.27 (+0.34%)
     

  • GOLD

    2,346.10
    +28.10 (+1.21%)
     

  • NASDAQ

    19,576.92
    +111.74 (+0.57%)
     

  • FTSE

    8,158.11
    -5.56 (-0.07%)
     

  • Dow Jones

    38,647.10
    -65.11 (-0.17%)
     

  • DAX

    18,042.33
    -223.35 (-1.22%)
     

  • Hang Seng

    17,941.78
    -170.85 (-0.94%)
     

  • NIKKEI 225

    38,814.56
    +94.09 (+0.24%)
     

  • NZD/JPY

    96.2770
    -0.5430 (-0.56%)
     

Stocks poised for their second weekly drop as political turmoil, Barcelona terror attack weigh

Alexandra Gibbs
Updated
Spencer Platt | Getty Images. U.S. equities gyrated on Thursday as investors examined the details already of the tax-reform plan proposed by Republicans.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Friday, but equities were staring down their second straight week of losses as investors took note of the negative trading sentiment seen globally.

Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 5 points while S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 futures rose 2 points and 18 points, respectively. For the week, however, the Dow, S&P and Nasdaq were all down about half a percent.

In Spain, a manhunt is currently underway as police try to locate the driver of a van who plowed into crowds in one of Barcelona's tourist hotspot areas, which left at least 13 people dead and over 100 injured.

The perpetrator was seen escaping on foot after driving into pedestrians on Las Ramblas in the late afternoon on Thursday; an incident which police suspect was one of a number of planned attacks.

ADVERTISEMENT

The so-called Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, however, the claim has not been verified. Three men have been arrested, while police killed five terror suspects in Cambrils , a nearby town, to thwart an attack which involved explosive belts.

Consequently, European stocks were trading in the red, while Asia finished on a negative note in light of U.S. politics and the Barcelona terror attack.

Meanwhile, turbulence surrounding President Donald trump's leadership, economic policies and his recent statements on the white supremacist rally in Virginia, continue to weigh on sentiment.

Stepping aside from politics, consumer sentiment data is set to come out at 10 a.m. ET.

Following on from the Federal Open Market Committee's latest meeting minutes seen earlier this week, investors will be looking for any key comments made by Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan, who is set to speak at the Dallas County Community College District Conference Day, in Texas.

On the commodities front, oil prices posted minor gains on Friday, with U.S. crude hovering around $47.20 per barrel at 7:59 a.m. ET, and Brent standing around $51.09.

—CNBC's Karen Gilchrist and Reuters contributed to this report.



More From CNBC

  • Top News and Analysis

  • Latest News Video

  • Personal Finance