A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

US stock futures are lower this morning. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 17 points to 12,505.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 1.50 points to 1,349.80. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 2.50 points to 2,519.50.

European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index dropped 0.24%, London's FTSE 100 Index fell 0.57%, French CAC 40 Index gained 0.02% and German DAX 30 index dropped 0.61%. Asian markets ended mostly lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 2.20%, China's Shanghai Composite falling 0.77% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.24%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.24% and India's Sensex dropped 0.88%.

Analysts at Citigroup upgraded Roper Industries

from “neutral” to “buy.” The target price for Roper Industries has been raised from $112 to $130. Roper Industries shares gained 0.64% to close at $107.69 yesterday.