A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts - Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE)

Pre-open movers

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting earnings reports from major companies. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 21 points to 14,665.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 3.10 points to 1,576.70. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 6.25 points to 2,829.25.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.12%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.05%, French CAC 40 Index surged 0.72% and German DAX 30 index rose 0.47%. Asian markets ended higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average surging 2.32%, China's Shanghai Composite gaining 1.55% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 1.63%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.73%.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at BMO Capital downgraded Apple

AAPL

from “outperform” to “market perform.” The target price for Apple has been lowered from $440 to $435. Apple shares dropped 1.02% to $402.00 in pre-market trading.

Breaking news

WellPoint WLP reported a 14.2% rise in its first-quarter earnings and raised its full-year earnings view. To read the full news, click here.
Adobe Summit EMEA, The Digital Marketing Conference—Adobe Systems ADBE, and SapientNitro, part of Sapient SAPE, today announced an expansion of their global partnership, including integration of the Sapient EngagedNowSM platform with Adobe Marketing Cloud. To read the full news, click here.
Ceragon Networks CRNT today announced that a leading mobile operator in the Southern Cone region of Latin America has placed new orders for Ceragon products and services valued at more than $8 million. To read the full news, click here.
Whirlpool WHR reported a rise in its first-quarter profit. To read the full news, click here.

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs