U.S. Pre-Market Trading Hours for Friday, August 17 2012.

By William L. Watts, MarketWatch 

FRANKFURT (MarketWatch) — U.S. stock index futures traded near unchanged Friday as investors awaited the latest round of consumer confidence data from the University of Michigan a day after stocks found support on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s reiteration of her support for the euro.

Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJU2 -0.0076% were flat at 13,225. 

S&P 500 Index futures SPU2 -0.11% slipped 0.7 point to 1,412.40, while Nasdaq-100 futures NDU2 +0.18% edged up 5 points to 2,768.50.

European equities advanced Friday, with the Stoxx 600 Europe index XX:SXXP +0.29% gaining 0.4%. Merkel told reporters in Canada just ahead of Thursday’s European close that Germany remained committed to doing what it can to maintain the euro and appeared to back European Central Bank President Mario Draghi’s proposal for the central bank to resume buying bonds in the secondary market for countries that agree to seek help from the region’s rescue funds. See: Merkel says Germany committed to euro.

The remarks also helped lift U.S. shares to a higher finish on Thursday. 

“With Merkel voicing her support for Draghi’s plans and restating that all measures would be taken to defend the euro, investors are breathing a slight sigh of relief this morning,” said Mike McCudden, head of derivatives at Interactive Investor in London.

“All talk once again; and in a market trading on woefully thin volume, it doesn’t take very much to drive it in either direction,” he said, in emailed comments. 

The University of Michigan will release its August consumer sentiment index at 9:55 a.m. Eastern time. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch forecast the index to decline to 71.8 from a previous reading of 72.3.

Reuters

Strategists said low trading volume and slow news flow could continue to make for quiet trading as investors look ahead to the annual symposium of Federal Reserve policy makers and other central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyo., at the end of the month, as well as the Fed’s September policy meeting and growing expectations Europe’s debt crisis could heat up again next month. 

“The scheduled possible catalysts for the market have come and gone, giving the market a modest upward bias, but we now appear to be firmly in the dog days of summer,” said Kully Samra, U.K. branch director for Charles Schwab in London. “Low volume and little conviction may dominate through Labor Day but investors need to stay vigilant and now is a good time to prepare for the potential fireworks in the autumn.” 

Earnings results are expected ahead of the opening bell from athletic-shoe retailer Foot Locker Inc. FL -0.09% and food company J.M. Smucker Co. SJM 0.00% .

Shares of clothing retailer Gap Inc. GPS -0.78% may be in focus after it raised its full-year earnings outlook after Thursday’s closing bell. 

Shares of clothing retailer Aeropostale Inc. ARO +0.22% lost ground in after-hours action Thursday after the company issued a weaker-than-expected profit forecast for the current quarter.

Nymex crude-oil futures CLU2 -0.53% lost 47 cents to $95.13 a barrel in electronic trade. Gold futures GCZ2 -0.01% declined 50 cents to $1,618.70 an ounce. 

The dollar index DXY +0.03% , which measures the U.S. unit against a basket of six major rivals, was little changed at 82.356. 

The euro EURUSD +0.0141% edged up 0.1% against the dollar to $1.2371. The U.S. unit added 0.2% versus the Japanese currency USDJPY +0.0439% to ¥79.45.  

William L. Watts is MarketWatch's European bureau chief, based in Frankfurt.