A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 71 points to 13,916.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 7.60 points to 1,500.90. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 11.50 points to 2,723.00.

European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.63%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.65%, German DAX 30 Index rose 0.24% and French CAC 40 Index surged 1.08%. Asian markets ended mostly lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average falling 1.90%, China's Shanghai Composite surging 0.20% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index dropping 0.54%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined 2.27% and India's Sensex dropped 0.46%.

Analysts at RW Baird downgraded Yum! Brands

from “outperform” to “neutral.” The target price for Yum has been lowered from $72 to $60. Yum shares dropped 6.16% to $60.00 in pre-market trading.