The benchmark averages slipped on Friday, with another quiet holiday session expected. Wall Street put in a muted performance on Thursday, potentially derailing a Santa Claus rally.  Early on and the  S&P 500 (SP500) was -1.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Friday at the end of an upbeat holiday-shortened week for Wall Street's main indexes that was driven by expectations around a traditionally strong period for markets.

Technology stocks are dragging down the market as Friday as Wall Street closes out a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 fell 1.6%, with more than 80% of stocks in the benchmark index losing ground. The benchmark index was managing to hold onto a modest gain for the week.