A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

US stock futures are slightly higher this morning, ahead of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's congressional testimony. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1 point to 15,392.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 0.80 points to 1,672.00. Nasdaq 100 futures surged 5.25 points to 3,076.00.

European markets were mixed today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index gained 0.20%, London's FTSE 100 index dropped 0.27%, French CAC 40 Index gained 0.49% and German DAX 30 index fell 0.27%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 0.11%, China's Shanghai Composite dropping 1.01% and Australia's ASX/S&P500 falling 0.04%. Hong Kong's Heng Seng Index surged 0.28% and India's Sensex gained 0.49%.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank downgraded Johnson & Johnson

from “buy” to “hold.” The target price for Johnson & Johnson has been raised from $92 to $93. Johnson & Johnson's shares closed at $90.40 yesterday.