Stock futures signal pause at the open

LONDON -

Stock futures pointed to a flat-to-lower open on Wall Street on Friday, with the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> set to fall at the start after chalking up a 10-day winning streak.

June futures for the Dow Jones were down 0.1 percent at 05.47 a.m. EDT, while equivalent contracts on the Nasdaq 100 and the S&P 500 were flat.

March futures and options are due to expire on Friday, which could bring some volatility as some investors rebalance their portfolios.

European shares held near 4-1/2-year highs as growing evidence of a U.S. recovery bolstered investor appetite for riskier assets.

The New York Federal Reserve releases its Empire State Manufacturing Survey for March at 1230. It is expected to rise to 10.00 compared with 10.04 in February.

February's Consumer Price Index and real earnings are also due to be published at 08.30 a.m. EDT.

Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan release their preliminary March consumer sentiment index at 1355. A reading of 78 is expected, compared with 77.6 in the final February report.

Silver Lake Partners, the technology-focused private equity firm backing a $24.4 billion bid to take Dell Inc private, is close to raising $10 billion for its latest fund, exceeding its initial fundraising target on strong investor demand, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

Boeing Co expressed confidence on Friday that it could have its grounded 787 Dreamliner jets flying again in a matter of weeks, after it unveiled its proposed fix for the aircraft's battery system that it says would eliminate the risk of fire.

Samsung Electronics Co <005930.KS> challenged Apple Inc on its home turf as the South Korean technology giant premiered its latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S4, which sports a bigger display and unconventional features such as gesture controls.

IBM Corp and EMC Corp are among parties in talks to buy privately held database web hosting company SoftLayer Technologies Inc, in a deal that could fetch over $2 billion, three sources close to the matter said.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 83.86 points, or 0.58 percent, to 14,539.14 on Thursday, a record closing high. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 8.71 points, or 0.56 percent, to 1,563.23, about 2 points from its record closing high of 1,565.15, set on October 9, 2007.

The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> advanced 13.81 points, or 0.43 percent, to end at 3,258.93.

(Reporting By Francesco Canepa)