A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

US stock futures are slightly higher this morning, as investors are awaiting housing data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 9 points to 13,498.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 0.10 points to 1,451.50. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 2.50 points to 2,840.75.

European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index fell 0.12%, London's FTSE 100 Index dropped 0.10%, French CAC 40 Index fell 0.21% and German DAX 30 index declined 0.37%. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 0.25%, China's Shanghai Composite dropping 0.19% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.31%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.02% and India's Sensex gained 0.11%.

Analysts at UBS downgraded Automatic Data Processing

from “buy” to “neutral.” The target price for Automatic Data Processing has been lowered from $64 to $59. Automatic Data Processing shares dropped 0.61% to $58.50 in pre-market trading.