OVERNIGHT

Reuters reported that this is the first time time in four sessions Japanese equities saw some upward  light at the end of the tunnel. But the move ran counter to other Asian markets pretty much insuring stocks will end the week lower.

Part of the drawback hings on big events next week with the Fed set to bump up interest rates finally in what has become the most anticipated Wall Sreet theme in a long time. Many investors remain jittery ahead of the event.

Meanwhile, Business Insider reports:

Futures were sharply lower and crude oil fell to new lows on Friday morning. 

Near 7:40 a.m. ET in New York, Dow futures were down 196 points, S&P 500 futures were down 19 points, and Nasdaq futures were down 49 points — all about 1% lower, pointing to a lower open on Wall Street.

Overnight in New York, West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures fell to a new low seven-year low of about $36.13 per barrel.

On Thursday, crude slumped after OPEC's monthly report showed that the oil cartel pumped the most oil in three years in November. And then, the International Energy Agency's own report on Friday warned again that the global supply glut will worsen in 2016 as inventories continue to build.

On Thursday, the indexes closed slightly higher to break a three-day losing streak. 

Friday was a weak day for many global markets. Across Europe, indexes including Germany's DAX, the FTSE 10o in London, and Euro Stoxx 50 were all down by more than 1%.