UKX FTSE 100 Index

By Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch

Deere, Gap, Applied Materials among potential moving stocks

U.S. stock futures indicated Wall Street could log a second-straight winning session on Friday, helped by a dearth of dramatic news headlines out of Washington, although the week is likely to end as a losing one for equities.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 45 points, or 0.2%, to 20,690, while S&P 500 futures rose 7.4 points, or 0.3%, to 2,371. Nasdaq-100 futures added 17.5 points, or 0.3%, to 5,647.25.

U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fragile-start-ahead-for-us-stocks-as-political-concerns-weigh-heavy-2017-05-18), buoyed by positive data and gains for tech stocks. The DJIA and Nasdaq Composite Index each ended the session up 0.7%, while the S&P 500 index closed 0.4% higher.

For the week, however, all three indexes are looking at losses of around 1%, as investors have increasingly questioned whether U.S. President Donald Trump can deliver on his economic stimulus promises.

The bulk of the weekly losses came Wednesday, after a report Trump in February asked then-Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey to stop an investigation into Russian interference into the U.S. election. Some investors have questioned whether Trump will even finish his term.

Opinion:Market sentiment during Watergate shows how stocks might react to Trump (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/market-sentiment-during-watergate-shows-how-stocks-might-react-to-trump-2017-05-19)

"This week political risk has caught up on the market but it's still unclear whether it has any legs," wrote Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid and research analyst Craig Nicol in a note to clients Friday.

"Whether this latest Trump bout of volatility lasts depends on what Mr. Comey really has on the president, but there wasn't much new news to report on the story yesterday which helped U.S. equities to recover," said the Deutsche Bank team.

Worth noting, they said, was that for all the shock waves that have rattled markets this week, the S&P 500 is still only 1.67% away from all-time intraday highs notched Tuesday, along with a roughly 1% weekly loss.

Observers said investors will be closely watching potential developments on the controversy next week. Lawmakers have asked the FBI to turn over the notes Comey said he made from his meetings with Trump by next week, and a congressional hearing on the matter is due to take place, at which the former FBI head has been asked to testify.

Read:Why the White House should worry: Special counsels usually result in criminal charges (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-the-white-house-should-worry-special-counsels-usually-result-in-criminal-charges-2017-05-18)

Once again, there are few data points to distract investors from the political roller coaster. The first-quarter advance services report is due at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.

Ahead of that, at 9:15 a.m. Eastern, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard is due to give a speech on the economy and monetary policy at the Association for Corporate Growth at Washington University in St. Louis.

Moving stocks: Deere & Co.(DE) , Foot Locker Inc. (FL) and Campbell Soup Co.(CPB) will report results ahead of the opening bell.

Gap Inc.(GPS) could be on the rise after solid first-quarter earnings (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gap-shares-rally-on-sold-first-quarter-earnings-2017-05-18), which lifted shares by around 6% in late trading Thursday. Also in the retail sector, Ross Stores Inc. (ROST) got a late boost of around 3% after earnings and sales met forecasts (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ross-shares-higher-after-eps-beats-expectations-sales-meet-forecast-2017-05-18).

Read:Only two S&P 500 companies passed this sales-and-earnings test (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/only-two-sp-500-companies-passed-this-sales-and-earnings-test-2017-05-11)

Shares of Applied Materials Inc.(AMAT) could be in for premarket gains, after a nearly 3% rise in late trading as the microchip-materials maker's results and outlook topped Wall Street estimates (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/applied-materials-shares-rise-on-earnings-beat-strong-outlook-2017-05-18).

Read:Bill Ackman has 'something to prove' after Valeant mistake (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bill-ackman-has-something-to-prove-after-valeant-mistake-2017-05-18)

(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bill-ackman-has-something-to-prove-after-valeant-mistake-2017-05-18)Other markets: European stocks saw gains across the board (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-start-digging-out-of-trump-inspired-rout-2017-05-19), with the FTSE 100 index (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/uk-stocks-break-2-day-losing-streak-after-pounds-mini-flash-crash-2017-05-19) breaking a two-day losing streak. In Asia , stocks finished mostly higher.

The dollar traded lower across the board , with the British pound recapturing the $1.30 level (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-pound-looks-set-for-significant-further-upside-now-that-its-regained-130-2017-05-18) it lost late Thursday after a mini "flash crash," which sent it to as low as $1.2888 within seconds.

Read:The pound looks set for 'significant further upside' now that it's regained $1.30 (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-pound-looks-set-for-significant-further-upside-now-that-its-regained-130-2017-05-18)

Gold prices were down modestly, while oil prices added to gains, with West Texas Intermediate crude prices tapping the $50-a-barrel mark (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/optimism-ahead-of-opec-meeting-drives-further-gains-for-oil-2017-05-19).

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 19, 2017 06:08 ET (10:08 GMT)

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