A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting new home sales data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 32 points to 13,813.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 3.20 points to 1,495.00. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 9.75 points to 2,727.75.

European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.15%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.05%, German DAX 30 Index surged 1.10% and French CAC 40 Index rose 0.63%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 2.88%, China's Shanghai Composite dropping 0.49% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index gaining 0.52%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.08% and India's Sensex climbed 0.90%.

Analysts at Citigroup downgraded Goldman Sachs Group

from “buy” to “neutral.” The target price for Goldman Sachs has been raised from $140 to $150. Goldman Sachs shares dropped 0.66% to $144.00 in pre-market trading.