US Stock Futures Edge Lower Ahead Of Earnings, Jobless Claims

US stock futures traded lower in early pre-market trade. Data on weekly jobless claims and nonfarm business productivity for the third quarter will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 22 points to 17,391.00, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures fell 4.60 points to 2,014.10. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index declined 5.50 points to 4,137.00.

European markets were mixed today, with the Spanish Ibex Index dropping 0.05%, STOXX Europe 600 Index falling 0.30%. German DAX 30 index climbed 0.08%, French CAC 40 Index surged 0.03% and London's FTSE 100 Index dropped 0.16%. In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.86%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.20% and China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.27%.

Analysts at Deutsche Bank downgraded Duke Energy

from Buy to Hold. The price target for Duke Energy has been raised from $78 to $81. Duke Energy's shares closed at $83.50 yesterday.