Major U.S. stock indexes fell today, as investors awaited reports on jobless claims and orders on big-ticket items. Less than two hours before the start of trading, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures declined 78 points to 8367. The S&P 500 futures fell 10.90 points to 842.90 and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 11.25 points to 1124.25. October consumer spending figures, set for release at 8:30 a.m. ET, are expected to show a 1 percent decline, according to a MarketWatch survey of economists. That follows a 0.3 percent fall in September. Durable goods orders are forecast to show a 2.5% fall in October after a 0.8% rise in September. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices fell. Light, sweet crude rose 75 cents to $51.52 in premarket electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Bond prices were mixed. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 3.01 percent from 3.10 percent late Tuesday. The yield on the three-month T-bill, considered one of the safest investments, rose to 0.12 percent from 0.09 percent late Tuesday.
