U.S. stock futures fell Friday after weak results from Amazon.com Inc. and stock-market declines in Europe .
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 50 points, or 0.3%, to 16563. S&P 500 futures shed eight points, or 0.4%, to 1938 and Nasdaq-100 futures declined 18 points, or 0.5%, to 3987. Changes in stock futures don't always accurately predict stock moves after the opening bell.
Amazon.com reported its largest quarterly loss in 14 years. The company took a $170 million charge on its Amazon Fire smartphone. Shares slumped 9.6% in premarket trade.
Meanwhile, fears about the spread of Ebola returned to the forefront after a doctor tested positive for the virus Thursday in New York City , weighing on stock futures, said John Brady , managing director at futures brokerage R.J. O'Brien Associates .
Stocks rallied Thursday, as strong results from Caterpillar Inc. and 3M Co. boosted the Dow, which gained 1.3% to 16677.90. The S&P climbed 1.2% to 1950.82.
Stock-market action has been volatile this month, with Thursday's session marking the 10th in October that the Dow ended with a move of more than 1%. That is the most since November 2011 . The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index, which measures expectations for swings in the S&P 500, closed at its highest level of the year on Oct. 15 . Part of the volatility has stemmed from concerns about the slowing pace of global growth and worries about potential deflation in the eurozone.
In overseas trading, the Stoxx Europe 600 fell 0.4%.
Data Friday showed the U.K. economy slowed in the third quarter, expanding at an annualized rate of 2.8% versus an annualized rate of 3.7% in the second quarter.
Still, purchasing managers indexes from the eurozone and China on Thursday posted readings above 50, indicating that activity is increasing. "You've got this environment where global growth momentum is weak, but the overall economic recovery is still on track," said Atul Lele , chief investment officer at Deltec International Group .
And a pickup in business investment in the U.S. should help the global economic recovery, he said. Stocks in the technology sector, especially in companies that specialize in hardware and semiconductors, are poised to gain as companies begin to spend more, he added.
Japanese stocks snapped a four-week losing streak.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.243%.
In commodity markets, crude-oil futures fell 1% to $81.24 a barrel. Gold futures rose 0.4% to $1233.90 an ounce.
In other earnings news, Microsoft Corp. reported revenue growth of 11% in the quarter ended Sept. 30 , excluding Nokia's mobile-phone business. Its sales growth stands out as its peers post declining or slow growth. Shares rose 2.5% in premarket trade.
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