US Stock Futures Mixed; All Eyes On ISM

US stock futures are mixed this morning. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 11 points to 12,356.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index fell 1.00 point to 1,314.50. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 0.75 point to 2,321.75. US stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrial average gaining 1.25% to 12,414.34, the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index rising 1.01% to 1,320.64 and the NASDAQ composite index surging 1.21% to 2,773.52. US markets will be closed on Monday for the July 4 Independence Day holiday. The Institute for Supply Management's June manufacturing index will be released at 10 a.m. ET. The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for June and construction spending for May will also be released today. Apollo Group Inc APOL reported upbeat third-quarter results and projected FY11 revenue above estimates. Apollo expected FY11 consolidated revenue of $4.65 to $4.75 billion, versus analysts' estimates of $4.67 billion. Apollo's new enrollment dropped 40.5%, while total enrollment declined 16.4%. Apollo reported its quarterly adjusted earnings at $1.45 per share, up from analysts' estimates of $1.33 per share. Its revenue dropped to $1.24 billion, from $1.34 billion, in the year-earlier period. Darden Restaurants Inc DRI reported about 19% rise in its fourth-quarter profit. The company reported its quarterly net income at $137.4 million, or $0.99 per share, up from $115.6 million, or $0.80 per share, in the year-ago period. Its revenue surged to around $2 billion, from about $1.9 billion. Analysts were expecting earnings of $1 per share on revenue of $1.99 billion. China's official version of the Purchasing Managers' Index declined to 50.9 in June, versus 52.0 in May. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.5295%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving down 0.26% and China's Shanghai Composite dropping 0.10%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 1.53% and India's Sensex dropped 0.51%. European markets were mixed today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has dropped 0.08%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.35%, German DAX 30 index rose 0.15% and France CAC 40 index fell 0.05%. According to the Markit purchasing managers index for the sector, manufacturing activity in the euro zone rose at its slowest pace in 18 months in June. British manufacturing activity rose at its slowest pace in 21 months in June. Crude oil for August delivery dropped $0.73 to $94.68 a barrel. However, gold futures for August delivery declined $9.90 to $1,492.70 an ounce. The dollar index (DXY) fell 0.02% to 74.36.