US Stock Futures Edge Lower Ahead Of Fed Minutes

US stock futures are slightly lower this morning, ahead of the minutes of the recent Fed meeting. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 14 points to 15,208.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 3.20 points to 1,642.40. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 2 points to 2,972.25. US stocks closed higher on Tuesday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average surging 0.50% to 15,300.34, the S&P 500 index rising 0.72% to 1,652.32 and the Nasdaq 100 index gaining 0.56% to 3,504.26. The MBA purchase applications index will be released at 7:00 a.m. ET, while wholesale trade data for May will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET. The EIA weekly report on petroleum inventories will be released at 10:30 a.m. ET, while the FOMC will release minutes of its latest meeting at 2:00 p.m. ET. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is expected to speak at 4:10 p.m. ET. Helen of Troy HELE reported upbeat fiscal first-quarter profit. Nu Skin Enterprises NUS lifted its forecast for the second quarter and full year. Family Dollar Stores FDO is estimated to report its Q3 earnings at $1.03 per share on revenue of $2.57 billion. Yum! Brands YUM is projected to post its Q1 earnings at $0.54 per share on revenue of $2.93 billion. American Greetings AM is expected to report its Q1 earnings at $0.76 per share. Fastenal Company FAST is projected to report its Q2 earnings at $0.41 per share on revenue of $857.13 million. PriceSmart PSMT is expected to post its Q3 earnings at $0.64 per share on revenue of $568.33 million. MSC Industrial Direct Co MSM is expected to report its Q3 earnings at $0.97 per share on revenue of $635.18 million. European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index dropped 0.34%, London's FTSE 100 index declined 0.35%, French CAC 40 Index dropped 0.39% and German DAX 30 index fell 0.32%. Asian markets ended mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average falling 0.39%, China's Shanghai Composite surging 2.17% and Australia's ASX/S&P500 rising 0.39%. Hong Kong's Heng Seng Index gained 1.07% and India's Sensex fell 0.75%. China's exports declined 3.1% y/y in June, versus a 1% rise in May.