US Stock Futures Slightly Down As Investors Await Goldman Results, Apple Reports Strong Earnings

US stock index futures are slightly lower this morning after strong earnings report from Apple Inc AAPL. Investors are awaiting results from Goldman Sachs Group Inc GS. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 3 points to 11,808.00, while S&P 500 futures declined 2.20 points to 1,292.50. Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.75 point to 2,330.00. US stocks closed higher yesterday after better-than-expected manufacturing data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.43%, while the S&P 500 rose 0.14%. The Nasdaq 100 moved up 0.38%. The Commerce Department will release December housing starts data at 8:30 a.m. ET. Apple Inc reported its FQ1 earnings at $6.43 per share, up from $3.67 per share, in the year-ago period. The company's revenue surged more than 70% y/y to $26.74 billion. However, analysts were expecting earnings at $5.38 per share on revenue of $24.38 billion. International Business Machines Corp IBM reported its Q4 net income at $4.18 per share, up from $3.59 per share, in the year-earlier period. The company's revenue increased 7% y/y to $29 billion. However, analysts had expected earnings at $4.08 per share on revenue of $28.26 billion. Wall Street expects Goldman Sachs to report its Q4 EPS at $3.79. Analysts are expecting EBay Inc EBAY to have earned $0.47 per share in fourth-quarter. F5 Networks Inc FFIV is estimated to report its Q1 earnings at $0.82 per share on revenue of $270.36 million. Wells Fargo & Company WFC is projected to report its Q4 EPS at $0.61 on revenue of $21.00 billion. According to the Wall Street Journal, Citigroup Inc C is planning to appoint John Havens as the company's president and chief operating officer. Negative sentiment ruled the European markets today. While STOXX Europe 600 Index has dropped 0.57%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved down 0.43%. Asian markets ended in the positive territory, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.36%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 0.66% and China's Shanghai Composite rising 1.81%. The US dollar was lower against most major rivals. The greenback dropped 0.5% against the Japanese currency. Against the dollar, the euro gained about 0.6%. Gold futures gained $4 to $1,372.20 an ounce. Nymex crude-oil futures rose $0.53 to $91.91 per barrel in electronic trade. Read more from Benzinga's Markets.