US Stock Futures Slide Ahead Of Economic Data

Pre-open moversUS stock futures traded lower in early pre-market trade. The S&P/Case-Shiller home price index for January will be released at 9:00 a.m. ET, while the Chicago PMI for March will be released at 9:45 a.m. ET. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index for March will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 96 points to 17,764.00, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures fell 11.35 points to 2,064.15. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index slipped 22.60 points to 4,349.90.A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were lower today, with the Spanish Ibex Index falling 0.33%, STOXX Europe 600 Index declining 0.47% and German DAX 30 index dropping 0.90%. French CAC 40 Index slipped 0.57% and London's FTSE 100 Index fell 1.04%.In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock Average fell 1.05%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 0.18%, China's Shanghai Composite Index declined 1.02% and India's BSE Sensex fell 0.07%.Broker RecommendationAnalysts at Cowen & Company downgraded Catamaran Corporation (NASDAQ: CTRX) from Outperform to Market Perform and raised the price target from $57.00 to $61.50. Catamaran shares jumped 23.82% to close at $59.83 yesterday.Breaking news

• Conn's Inc. (NASDAQ: CONN) reported weaker-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter, but the company's revenue exceeded analysts' estimates. To read the full news, click here.
• Antares Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATRS) today announced that Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Ferring) has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a name change enabling its newly acquired recombinant human growth hormone to be marketed in the U.S. as ZOMACTON™ (somatropin [rDNA origin]) for injection, and the needle-free delivery system to be marketed in the U.S. as ZOMA-Jet™. To read the full news, click here.
• Quintiles (NYSE: Q) and Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX) today announced a definitive agreement to form a global clinical trials laboratory services business. To read the full news, click here.
• Sapiens International Corporation (NASDAQ: SPNS) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement, subject to closing conditions, to acquire IBEXI Solutions Private Limited (IBEXI), an India-based provider of insurance business and technology solutions. To read the full news, click here.