A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are slightly lower this morning. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 6 points to 15,309.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 0.40 points to 1,662.60. Nasdaq 100 futures declined 2 points to 3,020.75. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were mostly higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index fell 0.07%, London's FTSE 100 index gained 0.41%, French CAC 40 Index gained 0.10% and German DAX 30 index rose 0.37%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average jumping 1.47%, China's Shanghai Composite surging 0.75% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index gaining 0.50%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 1.78% and India's Sensex dropped 0.31%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Goldman Sachs upgraded Abbott Laboratories ABT from “neutral” to “buy.” The target price for Abbott Laboratories has been raised from $38 to $44. Abbott's stock closed at $36.59 on Friday. Breaking news

• XenoPort, Inc. XNPT announced today top-line results from its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of arbaclofen placarbil (AP) for the treatment of patients with spasticity due to multiple sclerosis (MS). To read the full news, click here.
• Hercules Offshore HERO announced that it has entered into an agreement for the sale of eleven inland barge rigs, which includes three active rigs, eight cold stacked rigs, and related assets ("Inland Asset Package") for cash proceeds of approximately $45 million. To read the full news, click here.
• Stillwater Mining Company SWC today announced the election of Brian Schweitzer, the former governor of Montana, as Chairman of the Board. Governor Schweitzer, elected to the Board at the Company's Annual General Meeting of shareholders on May 2, 2013, replaces Frank McAllister as Chairman. To read the full news, click here.
• Newpark Resources NR today announced that it has been awarded and has entered into a contract with the Kuwait Oil Company to provide drilling fluids and related services for land operations. To read the full news, click here.