A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 28 points to 14,293.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 2.30 points to 1,541.40. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 7 points to 2,795.25.

European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index surged 0.20%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.46%, French CAC 40 Index rose 0.53% and German DAX 30 index surged 0.27%. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.30%, China's Shanghai Composite falling 0.98% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.15%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined 0.03% and India's Sensex climbed 0.84%.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs upgraded MEMC Electronic Materials

from “neutral” to “buy.” The target price for MEMC Electronic has been raised from $4 to $6.50. MEMC Electronic shares gained 4.96% to $5.50 in pre-market trading.