Crude prices pull back; investors await reading on manufacturing sector U.S. stock market futures were mixed ahead of the first trading session of 2009 as investors eyed a sharp drop in crude-oil prices and looked ahead to a reading on manufacturing activity. S&P 500 futures fell 0.40 points to 899.80 and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 3.50 points to 1,209.00. Dow industrial futures added 6 points. U.S. stocks rallied in the final session of 2008 on Wednesday, with some investors building positions in the hard hit financial sector after the worst year for the U.S. market since 1937. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 108 points on Wednesday, ending down 34% for the year. The S&P 500 index lost more than 38% over the course of the year and the Nasdaq Composite fell more than 40%. Crude-oil prices will once again be in focus Friday after the February-dated contract dropped $2.91 in electronic trading to $41.69 a barrel. The contract had surged around 14% on Wednesday. Also due after the market opens is the Institute for Supply Management's monthly report on manufacturing. Economists polled by MarketWatch are expecting the ISM's gauge of the sector to hold broadly steady at 36.3% compared to 36.2% in November. The dollar moved higher ahead of the data, adding 0.5% against the yen at 91.15 yen. The euro was down 0.5% at $1.3925. Citigroup may be among the more actively traded shares after chief executive Vikram Pandit said he and chairman Win Bischoff will not take a 2008 bonus and will cut pay and severance packages for executives. Russia's Gazprom may be among the more actively traded shares after chief executive Vikram Pandit said he and chairman Win Bischoff will not take a 2008 bonus and will cut pay and severance packages for executives. Russia's Gazprom and Time Warner Cable have agreed to settle a dispute over carriage feeds, avoiding a blackout of Viacom channels. In international markets, the German DAX 30 index made a strong start to the year, rising 1.7%.

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