US STOCKS-Futures down ahead of Wal-Mart results, jobless claims
* Investors eye results from retail giant Wal-Mart
* Weekly jobless claims data on tap
* For up-to-the-minute market news, click [STXNEWS/US]
By Angela Moon
NEW YORK, Nov 12 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday as investors awaited earnings from retail giant Wal-Mart (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) after the Dow and the Standard & Poor's 500 index closed at 13-month highs in the previous session.
* Wal-Mart is expected to report higher third-quarter earnings, but Wall Street will mainly focus on the retailer's U.S. sales.During the regular session on Wednesday, shares of Wal-Mart, up 1.3 percent at $52.97, gave the biggest lift to the Dow.
* Investors are also eyeing weekly claims for jobless benefits due at 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT).
* Other macroeconomic indicators include the U.S. Federal budget for October at 2:00 p.m. [1900 GMT]. The federal deficit is expected to hit $150 billion for the first month in the new budget year, headed toward another $1 trillion-plus tide of red ink.
* S&P 500 futures SPc1 dipped 3.9 points and were below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures DJc1 fell 34 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures NDc1 shed 6.50 points. Continued...
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