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Empresas y finanzas

Index futures point to weaker Wall St open


    (Reuters) -The Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 share index futures were down between 0.4 and 1 percent on Thursday, pointing to a lower start on Wall Street.

    * First-time claims for jobless benefits for the week ended February 28 are released by the Labor Department at 1330 GMT. Economists in a Reuters survey forecast a total of 650,000 new filings compared with 667,000 in the prior week.

    * ICSC releases chain store sales for February versus a year ago. In the previous month, sales fell 1.6 percent versus a year earlier.

    * Major retailers from Wal-Mart Stores to Macy's report February same-store sales, with department store chains and clothing retailers expected to show the steepest declines.

    * Commerce Department releases January factory orders at 10 a.m. EST. Economists in a Reuters survey expect a fall of 3.5 percent compared with a 3.9 percent drop in the prior month.

    * Adobe Systems Inc shares jumped over 4 percent after the bell in the last session following the design software maker's preliminary first-quarter results and second-quarter outlook.

    * Beleaguered automaker Ford Motor Co tumbled more than 18 percent to $1.53 after hours on Wednesday following the company's announcement of debt restructuring initiatives.

    * Shares of Hot Topic jumped 8.6 percent to $9.20 in extended trade on Wednesday after the company reported February comparable store sales rose 10.8 percent, topping the Wall Street view of a 4.8 percent increase.

    (Reporting by Atul Prakash; editing by Simon Jessop)