US pre-open: Futures point to losses ahead of shortened session
US futures had stocks opening lower ahead of Friday's shortened session following a day off from trading in celebration of Thanksgiving Day.
As of 1230 GMT, Dow futures were down 0.19%, while S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite futures were 0.22% and 0.24% weaker, respectively.
The Dow closed 42.32 points higher on Wednesday following further conversations between officials in Washington and Beijing.
Traders look set to continue monitoring developments in the US and China's ongoing trade war on Friday as Washington's 15 December deadline for a fresh round of tariffs on Chinese goods neared.
Beijing claimed the US had "sinister intentions" after Donald Trump signed legislation supporting protesters in Hong Kong earlier in the week.
CMC Markets analyst David Madden said: "The mood is cautious as dealers are fearful there could be an unravelling of some of the good work that has been done in relation to the trade discussions.
"Beijing view the Hong Kong bill as 'sinister' and it has the potential to sour relations. That being said, equities haven't lost that much ground in the past two sessions so traders are not that concerned for now."
Madden also noted that market volatility was tipped to be low as many US traders were set to remain on holidays following yesterday's Thanksgiving pause.
Trading will cease at 1800 GMT.
On the corporate front, retailers will be in focus as Black Friday sales take place across America in what has been projected to be the busiest shopping day of the year in the US.
No major data or corporate news was scheduled for publication on Friday.