U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Friday, with the S&P 500 on track for its second straight weekly decline, ahead of the monthly employment report.

The February jobs report is scheduled for release at 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) and is forecast to show a 240,000 increase in nonfarm payrolls after a 257,000 gain in January. Investors are waiting on the data as they attempt to gauge the timing of an interest rate hike from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

January international trade data is also expected at 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT), and is expected to show a narrower deficit of $41.7 billion from the $46.6 billion gap in December.

The S&P 500 is down 0.2 percent for the week. Moves for major Wall Street indexes have been modest in either direction since March 2, when the both the Dow and S&P hit records and the Nasdaq climbed above 5,000 for the first time in 15 years.

Staples advanced 0.6 percent to $16.59 in premarket after the office supply retailer posted fourth quarter earnings and issued guidance for the first quarter.

All 31 U.S. banks passed a test of how they would do in another possible economic crisis, the Federal Reserve said on Thursday, but those with large trading books came out weak because of new elements in the check-up. Bank of America shares rose 2.2 percent to $16.35 before the opening bell.

European shares approached seven-year highs ahead of the U.S. payrolls report.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei share average rose to a fresh 15-year high as encouraging comments from the European Central Bank lifted sentiment while China stocks fell as investors digested comments by top officials that highlighted growth and debt challenges the country faces this year.

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