A Peek Into The Markets: U.S. Stock Futures Down; Apple Earnings In Focus

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded lower in early pre-market trade. Mastercard Inc MA is set to report earnings before the bell, while Apple Inc. AAPL and Electronic Arts Inc. EA will report earnings after the closing bell. The Federal Open Market Committee will begin its two-day policy meeting today. The employment cost index for the fourth quarter is schedule for release at 8:30 a.m. ET., while the S&P Corelogic Case-Shiller home price index for November is schedule for release at 9:00 a.m. ET. The Chicago PMI for January will be released at 9:45 a.m. ET, while the Conference Board's consumer confidence index for January is schedule for release at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 25 points to 19,863.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures fell 2.50 points to 2,273.50. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index declined 7.50 points to 5,117.00.

Oil prices traded mixed as Brent crude futures gained 0.18 percent to trade at $55.33 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures fell 0.25 percent to trade at $52.50 a barrel.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.36 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index gaining 0.04 percent and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.11 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.53 percent, while French CAC 40 Index rose 0.32 percent.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average fell 1.69 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 0.06 percent, China’s Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.31 percent and India’s BSE Sensex fell 0.70 percent.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Citigroup upgraded Steven Madden, Ltd. SHOO from Neutral to Buy.

Steven Madden shares rose 0.45 percent to $33.85 in pre-market trading.

Breaking news

• Pfizer Inc. PFE reported weaker-than-expected profit for its fourth quarter.



• Coach Inc COH reported upbeat earnings for its second quarter on Tuesday.



• Harley-Davidson Inc HOG posted downbeat earnings for its fourth quarter. The company also said motorcycle shipments declined 11.9 percent in the fourth quarter.



• Eli Lilly and Co LLY reported weaker-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter, but sales exceeded expectations.