A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting manufacturing data and minutes from the Federal Reserve's December meeting. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 218 points to 12,368.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 22.70 points to 1,275.30. Nasdaq 100 futures jumped 44 points to 2,318.50. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were mostly higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index gained 0.69%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 1.24%, French CAC 40 index fell 0.45% and German DAX 30 index gained 1.03%. Asian markets ended higher, with Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 1.08%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 2.4032% and India's Sensex surged 2.72%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Piper Jaffray upgraded American Eagle Outfitters Inc AEO from “neutral” to “overweight.” The target price for American Eagle Outfitters has been raised from $14 to $19. American Eagle Outfitters shares dropped 0.13% to close at $15.29 on Friday. Breaking news

• SORL Auto Parts Inc SORL today announced that it expects to generate RMB60 million in 2012 sales as the exclusive supplier of breathing spring brake chambers to its OEM customers' Shaanxi Auto, JAC and Beiqi Foton for their latest vehicles. To read the full news, click here.
• OraSure Technologies Inc OSUR announced today that it has submitted the final of three modules in its application to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration for the approval of the Company's OraQuick® Rapid HIV-1/2 test for sale in the U.S. consumer or over-the-counter market. To read the full news, click here.
• Cutera Inc CUTR and IRIDEX Corporation IRIX today announced that the companies have entered into a binding agreement for Cutera to purchase certain assets of IRIDEX' global aesthetic business for approximately $5.1 million. To read the full news, click here.
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc REGN today announced that the Company has entered into a non-exclusive license and partial settlement agreement with Genentech, Inc., a member of the Roche Group RHHBY relating to U.S. ophthalmic sales of EYLEA™ (aflibercept) Injection. To read the full news, click here.