U.S. stock index futures pointed to a mixed open for Wall Street as bad news continued to trickle through before the Christmas holiday.
The world's number one carmaker, Toyota Motor , forecast its first ever operating loss due to a relentless global slide in car sales and a crippling rise in the yen. The announcement came after the close of the Japanese stock market.
Toyota shares fell 1.3 percent in premarket trading.
Toyota's warning is the second in less than 7 weeks, after domestic rival Honda Motor also took the rare step of altering its guidance outside the usual quarterly reporting season. The downward revision was bigger than predicted.
In the financial sector, UBS shares fell 1.5 percent premarket after the Swiss bank confirmed it will get a $1.8 billion loan from the covered bond bank of Swiss mortgage institutions.
Traders expect thin volume in the week ahead with few players taking on major positions.
In the coming week, home sales, durable goods data, consumer sentiment and the final days of holiday shopping will give new clues as to the health of the economy during the fourth quarter.
Asian stocks closed mixed, with Japan managing a meager gain, while European stocks were trading down.