A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting jobless claims data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 17 points to 12,826.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 3.30 points to 1,343.70. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 5.50 points to 2,539.25.

European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.16%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.27%, French CAC 40 index rose 0.30% and German DAX 30 index gained 0.55%. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 0.15%, China's Shanghai Composite gaining 0.09% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving down 0.15%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index dropped 0.04% and India's Sensex surged 0.70%.

Analysts at Morgan Stanley upgraded CIT Group Inc

from “equal-weight” to “overweight.” The target price for CIT Group has been raised from $45 to $48. CIT Group shares gained 1.25% to close at $41.20 yesterday.