US Stock Futures Edge Up; Euro Rises Against Dollar

US stock futures are slightly higher this morning. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 15 points to 12,965.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 1.20 points to 1,408.30. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 4.25 points to 2,674.25. US stocks closed lower on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 0.46% to 12,965.60, the S&P 500 index declining 0.47% to 12,965.60 and the Nasdaq 100 index falling 0.27% to 3,002.20. AutoZone

is estimated to report its Q1 earnings at $5.39 per share on revenue of $2.02 billion. Big Lots

is projected to post a Q3 loss at $0.24 per share on revenue of $1.14 billion. Toll Brothers

is estimated to post its Q4 earnings at $0.24 per share on revenue of $566.74 million. Pandora Media

is expected to post its Q3 EPS at $0.01 on revenue of $117.07 million. NCI Building Systems

is expected to post its Q4 EPS at $0.08 on revenue of $354.80 million. Mattress Firm Holding

is projected to post its Q3 EPS at $0.46 on revenue of $271.59 million. Oracle

announced its plans to pay three upcoming quarterly dividends on December 21. Geron

announced its plans to end development of GRN1005, an experimental brain cancer drug. It also announced its plans to cut 43 jobs. Pep Boys-Manny Moe & Jack

posted a loss in the fiscal third quarter. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.33%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.19%, French CAC 40 Index surged 0.82% and German DAX 30 index rose 0.16%. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average falling 0.27%, China's Shanghai Composite gaining 0.78% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.62%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.15% and India's Sensex climbed 0.22%. Australia's central bank lowered its key cash rate by a quarter percentage point to 3% on Tuesday. Gold for February delivery declined $14.60 to trade at $1,706.50 an ounce. However, crude oil for January delivery gained 0.03% to $89.12 a barrel on the NYMEX. The ICE dollar index (DXY) fell 0.16% to trade at 79.76, down from 79.909 in late North American trade Monday. The euro gained 0.18% versus the dollar to trade at $1.3077, versus $1.3054. The US dollar dropped 0.34% versus the Japanese yen to trade at ¥81.9750, down from ¥82.19 on Monday.