Overseas markets were tumbling Thursday following the U.S. market's late-session dip Wednesday and stock futures in New York are pointing toward a modest decline at the opening.
Investors will turn their attention to a plethora of earnings for direction about how the consumer and economy are faring. Slated to report are JetBlue, US Airways, McDonald's, Hershey Co., American Express, and Capital One Financial among others.
Oil prices slipped below $81 a barrel Thursday, retreating from a 2009 high, as a wobbly U.S. dollar steadied in Asian trading. Gold was also easing.
In Canada, Potash Corp. reported early, with profit falling nearly 80 per cent in the third quarter as fertilizer sales fell from their prerecession heights.
