A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are lower this morning after disappointing Chinese trade data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 51 points to 13,087.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 6 points to 1,394.60. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 7.75 points to 2,710.00. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index fell 0.43%, London's FTSE 100 Index dropped 0.28%, French CAC 40 Index declined 0.94% and German DAX 30 index fell 0.57%. Asian markets ended mostly lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dipping 0.97%, China's Shanghai Composite falling 0.24% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.63%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined 0.66% and India's Sensex rose 0.06%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Credit Suisse downgraded Advance Auto Parts AAP from “outperform” to “neutral.” The target price for Advance Auto Parts has been lowered from $96 to $75. Advance Auto Parts shares dropped 3.76% to close at $67.92 yesterday. Breaking news

• Spectrum Pharmaceuticals SPPI today announced that the Company's Board of Directors has approved an increase in its stock repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to a total of $100 million of the Company's common stock. To read the full news, click here.
• VanceInfo Technologies VIT and hiSoft Technology International Limited HSFT announced today that they have signed a definitive merger agreement, under which the companies will be combined in a tax-free, all-stock merger of equals with a combined equity value of approximately US$875 million. To read the full news, click here.
• Janus Capital Group JNS today announced that it has entered into a strategic alliance with The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company Limited, the third largest life insurer in Japan. To read the full news, click here.
• Reliv International RELV, announced that it has added LunaRich™ soy powder to its ProVantage® athletic performance supplement. To read the full news, click here.