* Non-farm payrolls on tap
* Bank of America sells more than $19 bln in equity
* Futures up: Dow 25 pts, S&P 2 pts, Nasdaq 1.75 pts
By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK, Dec 4 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were
slightly higher on Friday ahead of the key monthly jobs report
for November.
The U.S. government's closely watched monthly report on
non-farm payrolls is expected at 8:30 a.m. EST [].
Analysts polled by Reuters projected that U.S. payrolls likely
shrank by 130,000 in November, compared with a decline of
190,000 in October.
"If it came in as a major, major bad number that would
almost be a good thing because it would be a cold slap in the
face to the policy leaders that maybe we aren't doing the right
thing here," said Joe Gordon, managing partner at Gordon Asset
Management in Durham, North Carolina.
"If it comes in a little better or a little worse, it's a
non-event, it's the same old tune, less worse than it has
been."
Bank of America Corp <BAC.N> sold more than $19 billion in
equity on Thursday amid strong investor interest as it raced to
shed government regulatory curbs that have stymied its chief
executive search. For details, [] Shares fell 2.7
percent to $15.34 in premarket trade.
S&P 500 futures <SPc1> rose 2 points and were slightly
above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking
into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration
on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures <DJc1>
gained 25 points, while Nasdaq 100 futures <NDc1> added 1.75
points.
U.S. monthly factory orders are also expected Friday.
Cisco Systems Inc <CSCO.O> said it has control over 90
percent of Norwegian target Tandberg <TAA.OL>, allowing it to
squeeze out remaining shareholders, and create the world's
leader in videoconferencing equipment. []
U.S. video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc
<TTWO.O> warned it would post a loss this year, blaming release
delays, high development costs and low baseball game sales.
[]
Take-Two shares dropped 22.7 percent to $8.44 premarket.
Big Lots Inc <BIG.N> jumped 8.3 percent to $25.50
premarket after the closeouts retailer posted
better-than-expected quarterly profit and boosted its outlook
for the holiday period. []
Investors may eye technology shares after Taiwan
Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd <2330.TW><TSM.N>, the
world's biggest contract chipmaker, said it will allocate much
more money to capital spending next year, when it expects a
faster 9 percent growth in global chip sales. []
World stocks slipped, as European shares fell in early
trade, with banks among the biggest losers. Japan's Nikkei
stock average <> ended up 0.4 percent, and closed above
10,000 for the first time in five weeks. []
U.S. stocks fell Thursday after the U.S. services sector
shrank unexpectedly in November and investors worried that the
non-farm payrolls report may show the recovery is sluggish.
[]
(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; editing by Jeffrey
Benkoe)
((Charles.mikolajczak@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 5234;
Reuters
Messaging:rm://Charles.mikolajczak.reuters.com@reuters.net))
((Multimedia versions of Reuters Top News are now available
for: * 3000 Xtra: visit http://topnews.session.rservices.com
* BridgeStation: view story .134 For more information on
Top News: http://topnews.reuters.com))
