A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts - bebe stores (OTC:BEBE), Acacia Research (NASDAQ:ACTG)

Pre-open movers

US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 27 points to 13,305.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 4.30 points to 1,452.80. Nasdaq 100 futures declined 4.75 points to 2,734.00.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were mostly lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.17%, London's FTSE 100 Index dropped 0.03%, German DAX 30 Index declined 0.28% and French CAC 40 Index fell 0.68%. Asian markets ended higher, with Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index gaining 0.82%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.37% and India's Sensex rose 0.26%.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Sterne Agee upgraded Citigroup

from “neutral” to “buy.” The target price for Citigroup is set to $50. Citigroup shares dropped 0.12% to $41.20 in pre-market trading.

Breaking news

Trimble TRMB announced today that it has acquired privately-held ALK Technologies Inc. of Princeton, NJ, a global leader in routing, mapping, mileage and navigation technologies. To read the full news, click here.
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories RDY announced today that is has launched Finasteride Tablets (1 mg), a bioequivalent generic version of Propecia® (Finasteride) Tablets in the US market on January 02, 2013. To read the full news, click here.
Acacia Research ACTG announced today that its Automated Facilities Management Corporation subsidiary has entered into a license and settlement agreement with Planon Corporation. To read the full news, click here.
bebe stores BEBE today announced a Chief Executive Officer succession and said that Steve Birkhold will join the company as CEO, effective immediately. To read the full news, click here.

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