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By 3.57 EDT, futures for the S&P 500 were up 0.1 percent, Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 0.2 percent and Nasdaq futures were up 0.2 percent.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday after a weak reading on the labor market pulled stocks on the S&P 500 .SPX through a key technical level below 1,130 -- the high end of the summer's trading range.

Investors are likely to focus on a batch of data set for release on Friday to gauge the strength of the economic recovery.

U.S. durable goods figures for August are due at 1230 GMT, while new home sales data for the same month are scheduled for release at 1400 GMT. A poll of economists by Reuters forecasts sales of 290,000 units, up from 276,000 the month before.

Investors will closely watch developments in the currency markets after the dollar rose sharply against the yen on talk that Japanese authorities were buying dollars for yen in their second intervention this month. There was no immediate confirmation from the authorities.

In company news, a senior Credit Suisse (CS.N) commodity executive and a team of traders have left the bank to set up a hedge fund backed by Blackstone Group, the latest shake-up resulting from tough U.S. financial reform.

The second-largest shareholder in Dutch biotechnology firm Crucell (CRCL.AS)(CRXL.O), which has criticized Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) $2.3 billion offer for the company as meager, has increased its stake since the bid.

U.S. customer management and billing firm CSG Systems (CSGS.O) agreed to buy British rival Intec Telecom Systems (ITL.L) for 236.7 million pounds ($370.9 million) to create a global presence in business support systems.

South Korea's National Pension Service, the world's fourth-largest pension fund, said it will invest $300 million in U.S. property through real estate investment firm Townsend Group.

California regulators voted on Thursday to boost the state's renewable energy target to 33 percent by 2020, which could provide a big boost to the alternative-energy industry in the nation's most populous state.

The Senate will not vote on renewing Bush-era tax cuts before the November 2 elections, a spokesman for the majority leader said on Thursday, as Democrats face internal divisions and potential Republican obstacles.

After the closing bell on Thursday, shares of AMD (AMD.N) fell 2.8 percent to $6.22 after the company updated its third-quarter outlook.

Shares of Nike Inc (NKE.N) rose 2.7 percent to $79.77 in extended trading after the company reported stronger-than-expected orders and profit.

In Europe, shares dropped for a fourth straight session, led lower by mining stocks. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 was down 0.5 percent by 0857 GMT.

(Reporting by Harpreet Bhal; Editing by Michael Shields)