09:00 AM EDT, 04/12/2024 (MT Newswires) -- US equity futures were down ahead of Friday's opening bell as traders digested quarterly updates from major banks.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 0.6%, S&P 500 futures fell 0.70%, and Nasdaq futures were down 0.9%.

Oil prices were higher, with front-month global benchmark North Sea Brent crude and US West Texas Intermediate crude up more than 1% and 2%, respectively, on potential supply disruptions amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Import and export prices, released at 8:30 am ET, rose 0.4% and 0.3%, respectively, in March versus estimates compiled by Bloomberg for a 0.3% increase for both metric.

The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index, due at 10 am ET, is seen coming at 79.0 in the preliminary reading for April versus 79.4 in March.

In other world markets, Japan's Nikkei closed 0.2% higher, Hong Kong's Hang Seng ended 2.2% lower, and China's Shanghai Composite finished 0.5% lower. Meanwhile, UK's FTSE 100 rose 1.4% and Germany's DAX index increased 0.% in Europe's early afternoon session.

In equities, shares of BlackRock ( BLK ) were 0.7% higher pre-bell after the company posted higher Q1 adjusted profit and revenue. Citigroup ( C ) shares rose 1.3% after the bank reported Q1 earnings and revenue that beat analysts' estimates. NextPlat Corp. ( NXPL ) shares soared more than 70% Friday premarket after the company reported improved financial results for 2023.

On the losing side, JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) shares fell 3.4% despite reporting improved Q1 adjusted earnings and revenue that topped analysts' estimates. Wells Fargo ( WFC ) shares declined less than 1% after the bank reported lower Q1 earnings.