Stocks might struggle at the open after the latest weekly jobless claims numbers missed economist estimates. Forty-five minutes before the opening bell, stock index futures hint at a possible 20 or 30-point early loss for the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Stock index futures were holding modest gains heading into weekly jobless claims numbers. The data, released at 8:30 Eastern Time, showed filings for jobless benefits increasing by 36,000 to 482,000 in the week ended January 16. Stock index futures slipped on the news, as economists were looking for a decrease of 6,000.

The List of Leading Indicators and Philadelphia Fed Survey are due out at 10:00 a.m. Economists expect the indicators to show a .7 percent increase in December, compared to a .9 percent increase the month before. The Philli Fed manufacturing survey is expected to fall to 18.0 in January, down from 20.4 the month before.

Bonds are little changed ahead of the news. The benchmark ten-year Treasury battled back from early losses, now down 2/32nd and yielding 3.66 percent.

The dollar gained .50 to 91.72 against the Japanese yen. Euro weakness continues. The European currency lost another .0022 to 1.4082 against the greenback.

Crude oil edged up .14 to $77.88 a barrel ahead of weekly inventory data, expected at 11:00. Gold lost $7 to $1105.60 an ounce.

In stock news, Ebay jumped 9.2 percent after reporting a quarterly profit of 44 cents per share, which beat Street estimates by four cents. Goldman Sachs (GS) is up .35 percent after posting an $8.20 per share profit for the quarter, which was $3 better than analyst estimates. Airlines are in focus after AMR reported a narrower-than-expected loss and Continental Airlines (CAL) surprised analysts by swinging to a profit. American Express (AXP), Google (GOOG), and Capital One (COF) might see action today ahead of earnings, due out after the closing bell.