Stock Futures Dip Slightly After China Data

Stock futures pointed to slight losses at the start of trading Thursday for Wall Street as traders returned from the New Year's break.

The start of futures trading was delayed due to that holiday, showing sharper initial losses, which have since eased off. But Asia and Europe markets fell after downbeat news on China manufacturing.

Futures for the Dow industrials fell 14 points to 16481, while those for the S&P 500 index fell 1.3 points to 1839.80. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index fell 7.5 points to 3576.25.

Data ahead includes the Institute for Supply Management's report on manufacturing in December, weekly jobless claims and Markit's gauge of U.S. manufacturing. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose 5 points, or 1.7%, to 3.025%.