U. S. stocks ended an uneven Thursday with major indexes divide, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 45 points to take an endearing run to eight sessions, while the broader S&P 500 ended fractionally lower. A decline in weekly jobless claims and moderate inflation was countered by reports of another discount rate hike around Greece.

Palm Inc. plunged by 16% in premarket trade after the company's weaker-than-forecast sales position for the fourth quarter. Palm lost $18.5 million in the third quarter.

Asian markets ended mostly higher on Friday, with the Nikkei 225 up 0.8% in Tokyo, and the banking news helped push the FTSE 100 up by 0.4% in London.

Among the companies whose shares are anticipated to actively deal in Friday's session are Palm Inc., SunPower Corp. and Addus HomeCare Corp.

Smart-phone company Palm Inc.'s fiscal third-quarter loss reduced--even after exclusive of the effects of a large gain--but that capable sign was tempered by a decline in unit sales to retail customers. Shares had sunk by 14% to $4.84 in late trading.