A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 73 points to 14,788.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 8.80 points to 1,598.40. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 17 points to 2,906.25.

A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index fell 1.21%, London's FTSE 100 index dropped 1.61%, French CAC 40 Index declined 1.64% and German DAX 30 index fell 1.87%.

Asian markets ended lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 0.31%, China's Shanghai Composite declining 0.61% and Australia's ASX/S&P500 dropping 1.72%. Hong Kong's Heng Seng Index fell 2.48% and India's Sensex declined 1.49%.

Broker Recommendation Analysts at Citigroup upgraded Comerica (NYSE: CMA) from “sell” to “neutral.” The target price for Comerica has been raised from $31to $41.

Comerica's shares closed at $40.73 yesterday.

Breaking news

• The Ensign Group (NASDAQ: ENSG) announced today that it acquired Mountain View Rehabilitation and Care Center, an 82-bed skilled nursing facility in Marysville, Washington. To read the full news, click here.
• EXCO Resources (NYSE: XCO) today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements to acquire producing and undeveloped oil and gas assets in the Eagle Ford and Haynesville shale formations for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $1 billion, subject to closing adjustments and customary terms and conditions, from subsidiaries of Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK). To read the full news, click here.
• NewsCorp (NASDAQ: NWS.A) and Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA) are among a group of potential buyers for Turkish digital pay-TV operator Digiturk, according to sources speaking to Reuters. To read the full news, click here.
• Baxano Surgical (NASDAQ: BAXS) today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice related to the subpoena issued in October 2011. To read the full news, click here.