A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts - Akamai Techs (NASDAQ:AKAM), Dow (NYSE:DOW)

Pre-open movers

US stock futures are lower this morning. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 51 points to 12,729.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 6.80 points to 1,371.40. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 12.75 points to 2,568.25.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index dropped 0.41%, London's FTSE 100 Index fell 0.67%, French CAC 40 Index declined 0.25% and German DAX 30 index dropped 0.74%. Asian markets ended lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average falling 0.18%, China's Shanghai Composite dropping 1.51% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 1.47%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 1.13%.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at Goldman Sachs upgraded Dow Chemical Company

DOW

from “neutral” to “buy.” The target price for Dow Chemical has been raised from $32 to $36. Dow Chemical shares jumped 7.68% to $31.00 in pre-market trading.

Breaking news

Akamai Technologies. AKAM and Verivue announced today that the two companies have signed a definitive agreement for Akamai to acquire Verivue in a cash transaction. To read the full news, click here.
Home Depot HD reported a better-than-expected third-quarter profit and lifted its full-year forecast. To read the full news, click here.
The global pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck has signed a contract extension with Orange Business Services for the delivery of an IP VPN to facilitate secure, efficient connectivity at 180 locations in 60 countries. To read the full news, click here.
PepsiCo PEP today announced the opening of a new food and beverage innovation center in Shanghai, China. To read the full news, click here.

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