A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts - Intl Flavors & Fragrances (NYSE:IFF), Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Pre-open movers

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting earnings reports from several major companies. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 32 points to 13,391.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 3.50 points to 1,439.00. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 8.75 points to 2,740.00.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.55%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.68%, French CAC 40 Index surged 0.60% and German DAX 30 index rose 0.73%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average rising 1.44%, China's Shanghai Composite gaining 0.01% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 0.19%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.28% and India's Sensex dropped 0.73%.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Jefferies upgraded Kroger Co

from “hold” to “buy.” The target price for Kroger has been raised from $25 to $30. Kroger shares dropped 0.32% to $23.36 in after-hours trading.

Breaking news

Amazon AMZN is hiring for more than 50,000 seasonal positions at its fulfillment centers across the U.S. this holiday season. To read the full news, click here.
Starbucks Coffee Company SBUX retail stores today will begin selling its Verismo™ System by Starbucks, which made its debut on Verismo.com and at Specialty Retailers nationwide in September. To read the full news, click here.
International Flavors & Fragrances IFF today announced that it plans to invest over US$50 million in its existing flavors facility in Gebze, Turkey over the next three years. To read the full news, click here.
UnitedHealth Group UNH reported a rise in its third-quarter earnings. To read the full news, click here.

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