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Futures mixed with export, wholesale data on deck

Published: February 8, 2013 Comment on this article

NEW YORK (AP) — Stock futures are mixed before the government releases a pair of reports that could provide some direction for investors trying to gauge the pace of the economic rebound.

photo - In this Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 photo, trader David O'Day works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, in New York. World stock markets were mostly higher Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, boosted by better-than-expected trade data from China that provided new evidence of an upswing in the world's second-largest economy. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013 photo, trader David O'Day works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, in New York. World stock markets were mostly higher Friday, Feb. 8, 2013, boosted by better-than-expected trade data from China that provided new evidence of an upswing in the world's second-largest economy. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

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Dow Jones industrial futures are down 6 points to 13,892. The broader S&P futures slipped a tenth of a point to 1,505.20. Nasdaq futures are up 3.75 points to 2,745.75.

The Commerce Department reports Friday on the December trade deficit. Economists expect that the deficit narrowed, which would signal slightly stronger growth than was originally thought.

A decline in exports, notably in November, is one of the reasons that the economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter.

Another reason was the reluctance of business owners to build stockpiles. Commerce will reveal how much wholesalers adjusted those stockpiles in December.