By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks futures slipped on Thursday, with investors looking to see if the carnage from the previous day's roller-coaster session will continue. A hefty line-up of Federal Reserve speakers, and earnings from prominent companies such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc., could steer the market.

Futures for the S&P 500 index (SPZ4) dropped 8.90 points, or 0.5%, to 1,837.80, while those for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJZ4) lost 52 points, or 0.3%, to 15,955. Futures for the Nasdaq-100 index (NDZ4) fell 24.75 points, or 0.7%, to 3,727.25.

The weakness came after U.S. stock benchmarks flirted with their worst decline in more than three years on Wednesday, although they trimmed losses before the final bell. Read: Here's what drove the market meltdown

Earnings: The results season continues at full speed on Thursday, with a heavy lineup ahead of the opening bell. Goldman Sachs (GS) is expected to report earnings of $3.21 a share on sales of $7.8 billion in the third quarter, based on a FactSet survey of analysts.

Delta Air Lines (DAL) is forecast to report earnings of $1.18 a share on sales of $11.1 billion in the third quarter.

Tobacco maker Philip Morris (PM) is expected to report earnings of $1.34 a share on sales of $7.63 billion in the third quarter.

Toy maker Mattel Inc. (MAT) is predicted to report earnings of $1.02 a share on sales of $2.18 billion in the third quarter.

Movers and shakers: Netflix Inc. (NFLX) shares sank 25% in premarket trade,after the video-streaming company on Wednesday said its new-subscriber count fell short of its forecast of 3.69 million. It added 3.02 million new members during the quarter.

Ebay Inc. (EBAY) could also move in Thursday's trade after the online retailer late Wednesday reported third-quarter earnings fell to $673 million, or 54 cents a share, from $837 million, or 53 cents a share, in the year-earlier period.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) was also in the spotlight, ahead of a scheduled event where the tech giant is expected to launch new iPads and the latest in the iMac line.

Data: Weekly jobless claims are due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, followed by industrial production and capacity utilization data at 9:15 a.m. Eastern. At 10 a.m. Eastern, the home builders' index and Philly Fed report for October are due.

Fed speakers: Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser will speak on the economic outlook in Allentown, Pa. at 8 a.m. Eastern. He's a voting member of the Fed's policy committee this year.

Atlanta Fed President Dennis Lockhart will talk about on U.S. workforce development at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ at 9 a.m. Eastern. Lockhart will be a voting member of the Fed's policy committee in 2015.

Also a voting member, Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota will speak on the objectives of monetary policy in Billings, Mont. at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Finally, St. Louis President James Bullard will hold a Q&A with Vox blogger Matthew Yglesias at 12:45 p.m. Eastern. Bullard isn't a voting member this year.

Other markets: Europe's benchmark stock index dropped for an eighth straight day, after closing 3.2% lower on Wednesday. Read: European stocks slip into correction amid 'perfect storm'

Asian markets closed mostly in the red, with the Nikkei falling 2.2%. Oil prices dropped further, while most metals traded lower. The dollar rose against most major currencies.

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