U.S. Market Futures Mixed as Investors Await More Data

U.S. stock futures are mixed in pre-market trading for Wednesday, October 19. The Dow Futures are at 18072.0 for a gain of 8.00 points. The S&P 500 Futures are at 2132.25 for a gain of 0.25 points. The Nasdaq Futures are at 4822.5 for a loss of -4.50 points. The Russell Futures are at 1214.2 for a gain of 1.50 points.

In overnight trading in the Eastern Hemisphere, Japan’s Nikkei 225 is at 16998.91 for a gain of 35.30 points or 0.21 percent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is at 23304.97 for a loss of -89.42 points or -0.38 percent. China’s Shanghai Composite is at 3084.72 for a gain of 0.84 points or 0.03 percent. India’s S&P BSE Sensex is at 27984.37 for a loss of -66.51 points or -0.24 percent. In Europe, the FTSE 100 is at 6992.47 for a loss of -7.59 points or -0.11 percent. Germany’s DAX is at 10616.32 for a loss of -15.23 points or -0.14 percent. France’s CAC 40 is at 4505.12 for a loss of -3.79 points or -0.08 percent. The Stoxx Europe 600 is at 342.16 for a loss of -0.32 points or -0.09 percent.

Wednesday’s Factors and Events

On the economic calendar for Wednesday are the following reports: MBA Mortgage Applications, Housing Starts, Atlanta Fed Business Inflation Expectations, the Beige Book and the EIA Petroleum Status Report. Fed officials speaking on Wednesday include the following: Rob Kaplan, William Dudley and John Williams.

Stocks trading actively in the pre-market include the following:

Urban Outfitters

Masco Corp.

ConocoPhillips

FMC Technologies

Zoetis

Acuity Brands

MasterCard

Praxair

Dominion Resources

Investors are optimistic in pre-market trading about earnings and also watching for some key market data on housing. Approximately 75 companies will report earnings on Wednesday. In the Dow Jones Industrial Average, American Express will report its earnings in the afternoon. Investors will also be watching Morgan Stanley.

Tuesday’s Activity

U.S. market indexes were higher Tuesday. For the day the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 18161.94 for a gain of 75.54 points or 0.42 percent. The S&P 500 was also higher, closing at 2139.60 for a gain of 13.10 points or 0.62 percent. The Nasdaq Composite closed higher at 5243.84 for a gain of 44.01 points or 0.85 percent.

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Source: DJIA, S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite. Google Finance.

Other notable indexes included the small-cap Russell 2000 Index higher at 1217.47 for a gain of 7.34 points or 0.61 percent; the S&P 600 Small-Cap Index higher at 737.40 for a gain of 2.41 points or 0.33 percent; the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index at 1527.74 for a gain of 9.55 points or 0.63 percent; the S&P 100 Index at 949.50 for a gain of 5.20 points or 0.55 percent; the Russell 3000 Index at 1265.82 for a gain of 8.27 points or 0.66 percent; the Russell 1000 Index at 1185.50 for a gain of 7.36 points or 0.62 percent; and the Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index at 603.41 for a gain of 2.81 points or 0.47 percent.