Stock futures wobble ahead of Fed ‘wise men’
MADRID (MarketWatch) — U.S. stock futures indicated a struggle for direction at the start on Monday, as investors waited on speeches from three Federal Reserve members that could offer up more clues on central-bank policy.

Upbeat data out of China helped buoy overseas markets. On the corporate front, McDonald’s Corp. is due to report monthly sales ahead of the open.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (CBE JZ3) fell 2 points to 16,011 after soaring nearly 200 points on Friday, while those for the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (GLC:SPZ3) rose 0.5 points to 1,806.50. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index (GLC:NDZ3) added 4.25 points to 3,508.25.

The data docket is empty for Monday, but a trio of Fed speakers will provide plenty of distraction for investors. Last week’s upbeat jobs numbers added to a recent run of strong data, stirring up the debate as to whether the Federal Open Market Committee will decide to scale back bond buying at the Dec. 17-18 meeting. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stock-future...beforebell