US Stock Futures Slightly Lower Ahead Of Economic Data

US stock futures are slightly lower this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 4 points to 12,510.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 2 points to 1,318.10. Nasdaq 100 futures declined 3.50 points to 2,541.50. US stocks closed higher on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 1.31% to 12,573.80, the S&P 500 index gaining 1.17% to 1,324.18 and the Nasdaq 100 index surging 1.19% to 2,843.07. Data on May retail sales and producer prices will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. Spartech

is expected to post its Q2 EPS at $0.12 on revenue of $314.00 million. Vimicro International

is estimated to post a Q1 loss at $0.10 per share on revenue of $11.50 million. Culp

is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $0.32 per share on revenue of $66.70 million. Korn/Ferry International

is estimated to post its Q4 EPS at $0.27 on revenue of $192.01 million. Casey's General Stores

reported a weaker-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter profit. Dell

announced its plans to pay its first dividend in the third quarter. The company will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share. Prudential Financial

announced its plans to repurchase up to $1 billion in stock over the next year. European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index fell 0.32%, London's FTSE 100 Index dropped 0.12%, French CAC 40 index fell 0.18% and German DAX 30 index declined 0.55%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.60%, Chinese Shanghai Composite rising 1.27% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.17%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.82% and India's Sensex rose 0.11%. Crude for July delivery dropped $0.17 to $83.16 a barrel. However, gold for July delivery declined $0.40 to $1,613.40 an ounce. The euro gained 0.32% versus the US dollar to trade at $1.2545.