A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers

US stock futures are higher this morning, after AT&T

announced its plans to buy T-Mobile USA for around $39 billion. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 105 points to 11,904.00, while those for the S&P 500 stock index climbed 13.60 points to 1,287.80. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index surged 24.25 points to 2,245.75.

A Peek Into Global Markets

Positive sentiment ruled the European markets today. While STOXX Europe 600 Index has gained 1.59%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 1.24%. Most Asian markets ended higher, with Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.39% and China's Shanghai Composite gaining 0.08%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 1.73% and India's Sensex dropped 24.24 points.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Goldman upgraded Intrepid Potash Inc

IPI

from “sell” to “neutral.” The target price for IPI has been raised from $30 to $36. IPI shares gained 0.48% to close at $33.52 on Friday.

Breaking news

Shire plc SHPGY today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date of August 25, 2011 for the review of the New Drug Application (NDA) for FIRAZYR(R) (icatibant) for the treatment of acute attacks (Types I and II) of hereditary angioedema (HAE). To read the full news, click here.
Tiffany & Co TIF reported its Q4 adjusted EPS at $1.44, beating the consensus of $1.39. To read the full news, click here.
Rio Tinto RIO, the world's second-largest mining company, is looking to boost its exposure to the Russian diamond market through a partnership with Alrosa, the state-run diamond miner. To read the full news, click here.
Google GOOG, the largest U.S. provider of Internet search services, is once again tussling with the Chinese government, this time claiming Beijing is making it difficult for users to access their Gmail accounts. To read the full news, click here.