US Stock Futures Up As Investors Await Monsanto Earnings, Gold Futures Hit New High, American Superconductor Shares Drop In Pre-Market Trading

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting quarterly results from Monsanto Co

. Gold futures surged to a new high. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 44 points to 12,371.00, while those for the S&P 500 index rose 5.40 points to 1,332.10. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 12 points to 2,335.25. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.05% to 12,394, the S&P 500 index dropped 0.02% to 1,333 and the Nasdaq 100 index gained 0.07% to 2,791. Monsanto Company is projected to report its FQ2 EPS at $1.85 on revenue of $4.15 billion. WD-40 Co

is projected to report its FQ2 earnings at $0.67 per share on revenue of $86.67 million. Immucor Inc

is expected to post its FQ3 earnings at $0.27 per share on revenue of $79.73 million. Ruby Tuesday Inc

is projected to report its Q3 EPS at $0.31 on revenue of $319.80 million. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc

is estimated to report its FQ4 EPS at $0.97 on revenue of $2.39 billion. Apogee Enterprises Inc

is expected to report a Q4 loss at $0.11 per share on revenue of $144.75 million. Shares of American Superconductor Corp

dipped more than 39% in pre-market trading after the company projects a loss and lower revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter and forecast lower-than-expected earnings for the full year. The company projects Q4 revenue to come in below $42 million and FY10 revenue to be below $355 million, down from its earlier forecast range of $430 million to $440 million for the fiscal year 2010. However, analysts projected a Q4 profit of $0.33 per share on revenue of $120.5 million and FY10 net income of $1.34 per share on revenue of $433.2 million. Cephalon Inc

reported that its board unanimously rejected an unsolicited, $5.7 billion offer from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc

. European markets were mixed today. While STOXX Europe 600 Index has dropped 0.10%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.40%. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 0.32%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 0.26% and China's Shanghai Composite gaining 1.15%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.56% and India's Sensex dropped 0.54%. Gold for June delivery rose 0.29% to 1,457 an ounce on Globex. Silver for May delivery touched a new 31-year record, rising to $39.40. Nymex crude for May delivery rose $0.25 to $108.59 a barrel in electronic trading. The euro gained 0.5% to $1.4297 against the US dollar ahead of the European Central Bank (ECB) meeting on Thursday. Read more