By Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch

Possible cues ahead in Fed officials' comments, readings on durable goods and consumer sentiment

U.S. stock-index futures indicated a slightly firmer start on Friday, with some calm returning to the market after a week of geopolitical jitters, as North Korea made a restrained response to the U.S. withdrawal from a planned summit.

Attention is expected to return to the U.S. economy, with Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and other central bank officials in line to speak. Updates on durable goods orders and consumer sentiment are also on deck.

Trading volumes may be lighter than normal ahead of a three-day weekend, with markets shut on Monday for Memorial Day.

What are markets doing?

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose 30 points, or 0.1%, to 24,826, while S&P 500 index futures added 1.9 points to 2,729.50. Nasdaq-100 climbed 13.75 points, or 0.2%, to 6,972.

On Thursday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stock-futures-look-hemmed-in-as-north-korea-gloom-offsets-dovish-fed-2018-05-24), the Dow finished down 0.3% to 24,811.75, shaking off a loss of as much as 280.91 points earlier. The S&P 500 fell 0.2%, and the Nasdaq Composite Index closed less than 0.1% lower at 7,424.43.

As of Thursday, major indexes were looking at mostly modest weekly gains -- 0.4% for the Dow, 0.6% for the S&P 500 and close to 1% for the Nasdaq Composite.

What's driving the markets?

Investors will keep an eye on geopolitical headlines. After President Donald Trump called off a June 12 summit (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-calls-off-summit-with-north-koreas-kim-2018-05-24) with North Korea, a senior official from Pyongyang said its leader Kim Jong Un is still willing to meet (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/north-korea-says-its-still-willing-to-meet-trump-any-time-2018-05-24). U.S. stocks briefly tumbled Thursday on news that Trump had pulled out, but traders seemed to be finding some reassurance in North Korea's measured response.

"We express our willingness to sit down face-to-face with the U.S. and resolve issues anytime and in any format," said Kim Kye Gwan, a senior North Korea foreign ministry official, in a statement published by the North's official state media. She was the same official who had harsher words for the U.S. administration a week ago.

Investors may also watch to see whether any U.S. companies are struggling to comply with the new European data protection rules introduced Friday, seen as a potential risk for online advertising providers.

Check out:5 things to know about the GDPR rules -- which could cost big, bad techs dear (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-things-to-know-about-europes-new-data-rules-which-could-cost-big-bad-tech-billions-2018-03-21)

But trading volumes may sag Friday as some investors head out early to start their long Memorial Day weekend.

What's on the economic docket?

Readings on durable goods orders and core capital-equipment orders, both for April, are due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for May is scheduled for release at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Investors will hear from several Fed officials on Friday, including Chairman Jerome Powell, who will appear on a panel on financial stability and central bank transparency at a conference in Stockholm at 9:20 a.m. Eastern.

The presidents of the Chicago and Dallas Feds, Charles Evans and Rob Kaplan, are expected to speak on a panel at a Dallas Fed conference on technology and disruption at 11:45 a.m. Eastern.

Which stocks are in focus?

Foot Locker Inc.(FL) soared 12% in premarket after profit and sales for the sportswear maker beat forecasts (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/foot-lockers-stock-soars-after-profit-and-sales-beat-expectations-2018-05-25).

Zoe's Kitchen Inc.(ZOES) shares plunged 26% in premarket after the restaurant chain posted a bigger-than-expected first-quarter loss (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/zoes-kitchen-shares-tank-after-companys-quarterly-miss-outlook-cut-2018-05-24).

Shares of Gap Inc.(GPS) fell 7.5% in premarket after the retailer missed earnings expectations (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gap-inc-shares-tank-as-retailer-misses-earnings-expectations-same-sale-stores-weaker-2018-05-24) and reported weaker same-store sales late Thursday.

Apple Inc.(AAPL) may be in focus after Samsung Electronics Co.(005930.SE) was ordered by a federal jury to pay the iPhone maker $539 million for infringing patents (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/samsung-must-pay-apple-539-million-in-iphone-patent-case-2018-05-24) related to phone designs. It's the latest development in a legal battle that has stretched over seven years.

Read:Amazon's Alexa recorded couple's conversation, sent it to random contact (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oops-amazons-alexa-recorded-couples-conversation-sent-it-to-random-contact-2018-05-24)

What are other markets doing?

After a cautious session, Asian stocks finished in the red (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-markets-cautious-after-trump-cancels-north-korea-summit-2018-05-24) for the week, led by a 2% drop for the Nikkei 225 index . European stockswere mostly higher, outside of Spain (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-rebound-after-north-koreas-response-to-canceled-summit-2018-05-25), where stocks were under pressure on political worries.

Oil futures (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-threatens-3rd-straight-drop-as-buildup-in-us-supplies-drags-market-lower-2018-05-24)fell over 2% (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-slide-as-opec-russia-mull-output-increase-2018-05-25) to $69.21 a barrel on reports the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia are discussing plans to lift their production for the first time since 2016.

The ICE U.S. Dollar Index moved up 0.2% to 93.914. The 10-year Treasury note yield were trading around 2.98%.

Gold futures inched up to $1,305.10 an ounce.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 25, 2018 07:46 ET (11:46 GMT)