A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

US stock futures are slightly higher this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 10 points to 12,769.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 1.20 points to 1,387.50. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 2 points to 2,595.50.

European markets were slightly higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.09%, London's FTSE 100 Index dropped 0.03%, French CAC 40 Index gained 0.14% and German DAX 30 index rose 0.17%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.87%, China's Shanghai Composite rising 1.07% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.38%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index surged 1.39% India's Sensex rose 0.72%.

Analysts at CLSA downgraded Hormel Foods

from “outperform” to “underperform.” The target price for Hormel Foods is set to $32. Hormel Foods shares dropped 3.99% to close at $30.05 yesterday.