US Stock Futures Mostly Flat; All Eyes On Jobs Report

Pre-open movers US stock futures traded mostly flat in early pre-market trade. Data on nonfarm payrolls for October will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET, while consumer credit data for September will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 14 points to 17,788.0, while the Standard & Poor's 500 index futures fell 1.25 points to 2,092.75. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index gained 0.62 points to 4,695.88. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were lower today, with the Spanish Ibex Index falling 0.69 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index dropping 0.60 percent and German DAX 30 index declining 0.24 percent. French CAC 40 Index slipped 0.76 percent and London's FTSE 100 Index fell 0.12 percent. In Asian markets, Japan's Nikkei Stock jumped 0.78 percent, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.80 percent, China's Shanghai Composite Index surged 1.91 percent and India's BSE Sensex declined 0.15 percent. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Baird downgraded Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. CMG from Outperform to Neutral and lowered the price target from $850.00 to $675.00. Chipotle Mexican Grill shares climbed 0.26 percent to close at $616.55 yesterday. Breaking news

• CIGNA Corporation CI reported better-than-expected earnings for the third quarter and raised its earnings forecast for the year. However, the company's revenue missed analysts' estimates. To read the full news, click here.
• Alibaba Group Holding Ltd BABA and Youku Tudou Inc (ADR) YOKU today announced their entry into a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which an affiliate of Alibaba Group will acquire Youku Tudou Inc., a leading multi-screen entertainment and media company in China, in an all-cash transaction. To read the full news, click here.
• Walt Disney Co DIS reported better-than-expected earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter on Thursday, but the company's sales missed analysts' estimates. To read the full news, click here.
• AstraZeneca plc (ADR) AZN announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ZS Pharma Inc ZSPH, a biopharmaceutical company based in San Mateo, California. To read the full news, click here.