US Stock Futures Flat After Record Close

Pre-open movers US stock futures were mostly flat in early pre-market trade. Data on E-commerce retail sales will be released at 10:00 a.m. ET, while the Kansas City Fed manufacturing index will be released at 11:00 a.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 5 points to 15,980.00, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures fell 0.20 points to 1,793.50. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index rose 1.75 points to 3,402.25. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were mixed today, with the Spanish Ibex Index rising 0.25%, London's FTSE 100 index dropping 0.24% and STOXX Europe 600 Index dropping 0.03%. German DAX 30 index fell 0.12% and French CAC 40 Index rose 0.06%. Asian markets ended mixed today. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average surged 0.10%, China's Shanghai Composite declined 0.43%, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.49% and India's BSE Sensex dropped 0.06%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Jefferies upgraded Verifone Systems PAY from “hold” to “buy.” The target price for Verifone has been raised from $21 to $29. Verifone's shares closed at $24.30 yesterday. Breaking news

• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals REGN today announced that EYLEA® (aflibercept) Injection has received approval for the treatment of Macular Edema Following Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO) from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. To read the full news, click here.
• Daqo New Energy DQ today announced that the Board has officially approved the Company's plan to expand its polysilicon capacity in Xinjiang to 12,000 metric ton (MT) per annum. To read the full news, click here.
• Threshold Pharmaceuticals THLD, today announced early data from the Phase 1 portion of an investigator-sponsored Phase 1/2 trial of its investigational hypoxia-targeted drug TH-302 in combination with Avastin(R) (bevacizumab) in patients with recurrent glioblastoma following bevacizumab failure (Study 4003). To read the full news, click here.
• Novartis NVS today announced the launch of a USD 5 billion share buyback, reflecting the company's confidence in its long-term growth prospects, as well as its commitment to deliver strong shareholder returns. To read the full news, click here.