Stocks are likely to slide at the open Friday as investors take a cautious stance ahead of the Federal Reserve Board’s next decision on U.S. interest rates and fret over rising oil prices.

Fed officials wrap up their interest-rate meeting on June 30 and, if the universal expectation holds true, will announce a quarter-point increase in their overnight interest-rate target, to 1.25%.

Oil prices rose Thursday as worries continued that violence in Saudi Arabia and Iraq could disrupt oil supplies. Oil futures were up US34¢ to US$38.80 a barrel early Friday.

There are no major economic releases from Statistics Canada today.

European stocks are little changed in Friday trading, but the energy sector advanced as the price of oil continued its ascent.

At midday, London’s FTSE 100 index is up 0.17% at 4,501.1, while in Paris the CAC 40 is 0.02% lower at 3,717.33. Frankfurt’s Xetra Dax Index is off 0.23% at 3,976.31.

Asian stock markets closed lower on worries about rising interest rates.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei fell 225.82 points, or 1.95%, to 11,382.08 points.

In Hong Kong, the blue-chip Hang Seng Index fell 227.31 points, or 1.9%, to 11,855.55.

Technology and resource stocks sent Toronto markets higher Thursday, while U.S. markets dropped slightly.

In Toronto, the S&P/TSX composite index added 69.69 points to finish at 8,497.56.

Meanwhile, the junior S&P/TSX Venture composite index closed up slightly, gaining 5.21 points to 1,540.37.

The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average fell 2.06 points to 10,377.52. The S&P 500 index dropped 1.53 points at 1,132.03. The Nasdaq composite index slipped 14.56 points to 1,983.67.