A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts - BlackRock (NYSE:BLK), Acura Pharmaceuticals (OTC:ACUR)

Pre-open movers

US stock futures are slightly lower this morning. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 15 points to 12,958.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 2.60 points to 1,371.90. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 3.50 points to 2,639.75.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were mixed today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index gained 0.15%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved down 0.12%, French CAC 40 index rose 0.13% and German DAX 30 index dropped 0.11%. Asian markets ended higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 0.72%, China's Shanghai Composite gaining 1.43% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 0.42%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.81% and India's Sensex gained 0.30%.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Credit Suisse downgraded BlackRock Inc

BLK

from “outperform” to “neutral.” The target price for BlackRock has been raised from $200 to $205. BlackRock shares closed at $198.50 yesterday.

Breaking news

Cameco CCJ announced today that it has entered into an agreement with AREVA Resources Canada Inc. to purchase AREVA's 27.94% interest in the Millennium project for $150 million. To read the full news, click here.
Sara Lee Corporation SLE today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, DE International Holdings has filed a registration statement on Form F-1 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the spin-off of Sara Lee's Coffee & Tea business and related transactions, which are described in the registration statement. To read the full news, click here.
Acura Pharmaceuticals Inc ACUR today announced independent laboratory tests demonstrated that NEXAFED, Acura's pseudoephedrine tablet product, disrupted the conversion of the pseudoephedrine in the product into methamphetamine. To read the full news, click here.
Bona Film Group Limited BONA announced today that its chief financial officer, Mr. Mason Xu, has tendered his resignation as CFO of the Company to become chief executive officer of a China-based, U.S.-dollar private equity fund. To read the full news, click here.

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