US Stock Futures Flat Ahead Of Jobs Data - Centene (NYSE:CNC)

Pre-open movers

US stock futures were mostly flat in early pre-market trade, ahead of jobs data. Data on nonfarm payrolls for September will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Data on construction spending for August and the Richmond Fed manufacturing index will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 3 points to 15,319.00, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures fell 1.30 points to 1,736.90. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 0.75 points to 3,354.75.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were mixed today, with the Spanish Ibex Index dropping 0.14%, London's FTSE 100 index gaining 0.24% and STOXX Europe 600 Index rising 0.08%. German DAX 30 index fell 0.02% and French CAC 40 Index gained 0.06%. Asian markets ended mixed today. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gained 0.13%, China's Shanghai Composite fell 0.83% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined 0.52%. Australia's ASX/S&P500 surged 0.37% and India's Sensex declined 0.14%.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Morgan Stanley downgraded Forest Oil

FST

from “equal-weight” to “underweight.” The target price for Forest Oil has been lowered from $6 to $4. Forest Oil's shares closed at $5.47 yesterday.

Breaking news

Whirlpool WHR reported a strong rise in its third-quarter earnings. For the year, Whirlpool lifted its earnings forecast to $9.90 to $10.10 per share, versus its July outlook of $9.50 to $10 per share. To read the full news, click here.
Questcor Pharmaceuticals QCOR announced today that it will commence a Phase 2 study to explore the efficacy and safety of H.P. Acthar® Gel (repository corticotropin injection) for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). To read the full news, click here.
Centene CNC reported a stronger-than-expected third-quarter profit. Centene's quarterly net earnings surged to $49.4 million, or $0.87 per share, up from $3.8 million, or $0.07 per share, in the year-ago period. To read the full news, click here.
Dwolla and Alliance Data Systems ADS today announced they have signed a new, multi-year agreement for Alliance Data's Retail Services business to provide a cardless private label credit product for the Dwolla payment network. To read the full news, click here.

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