US stock index futures slightly decreased before consumer confidence data

U.S. stock index futures fell, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index heading for its first week of decline out of five, as investors focused on earnings reports and consumer confidence data.

Futures on the S&P 500 expiring in September slipped 0.3% to 1,679.2 at 11:45 a.m. in London. Contracts on the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 42 points, or 0.3%, to 15,400. A report at 9:55 a.m. New York time may show consumer confidence slipped this month. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment dropped to 84 from 84.1 in June, according to the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg.

The S&P 500 benchmark will probably record a 5.2% advance this month, its biggest since October 2011. The benchmark fell in June, after seven successive months of gains, as investors examine economic data for signs on when the Federal Reserve will start to reduce its $85 billion of monthly bond purchases. The index rose 0.3% yesterday, snapping two days of losses.

Companies earnings reports have been the main focus at the news recently. Of the 249 companies in the S&P 500 that have posted quarterly results so far, 73% have exceeded analysts’ estimates for profit and 57% have topped sales projections, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Zynga Inc. fell 17% to $2.89 in early New York trading after abandoning plans to enter the online-gambling business in the U.S. The maker of the social-networking game “FarmVille” also forecast third-quarter sales and earnings that fell short of analysts’ estimates as fewer users access its titles on Facebook Inc.’s website.

Starbucks gained 6.3% to $72.45 in pre-market trading. The world’s largest coffee-shop operator posted third-quarter earnings of 55 cents a share, higher than the 53 cent profit forecast by analysts, as food sales gained. The company also raised its projection for fiscal 2013 profit.

Expedia declined 24% to $49.62 in Frankfurt. The online travel agency posted second-quarter earnings, excluding some items, of 64 cents a share, falling short of the 81 cents analysts predicted.