A Peek Into The Markets: US Stock Futures Edge Higher Ahead Of Fed Speakers

Pre-open movers

U.S. stock futures traded slightly higher in early pre-market trade. The index of leading economic indicators for September is schedule for release at 10:00 a.m. ET. Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert Kaplan is set to speak in Washington, DC at 9:00 a.m. ET, while Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President Esther George will speak in Denver, Colorado at 10:00 a.m. ET. Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert Kaplan is set to speak in Denver, Colorado at 10:00 a.m. ET, while Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank President Neel Kashkari will speak in Bloomington, Minnesota at 10:30 a.m. ET. Federal Reserve Board of Governors Vice Chair Richard Clarida is set to speak in Boston, Massachusetts at 11:30 a.m. ET, while Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert Kaplan will speak in Denver, Colorado at 5:10 p.m. ET.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 19 points to 27,012 while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures traded rose 2.1 points to 3,000.00. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index rose 1 point to 7,953.75.

Oil prices traded higher as Brent crude futures rose 0.4% to trade at $60.17 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures rose 1.1% to trade at $54.51 a barrel. The Baker Hughes North American rig count report for the latest week will be released at 1:00 p.m. ET.

A Peek Into Global Markets

European markets were mixed today, with the Spanish Ibex Index falling 0.1%, STOXX Europe 600 Index declining 0.1% and German DAX 30 index gaining 0.1%. The UK's FTSE index was trading higher by 0.1%, while French CAC 40 Index fell 0.3%.

In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average rose 0.18%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 0.48%, China’s Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.32% and India’s BSE Sensex rose 0.63%.

Broker Recommendation

Analysts at UBS downgraded Agilent Technologies, Inc. A from Buy to Neutral and announced a $82 price target.

Agilent shares fell 2% to $73.41 in pre-market trading.

Breaking News

• Kansas City Southern KSU reported upbeat earnings for its third quarter.
• American Express Company AXP reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its third quarter.
• Schlumberger Limited SLB reported stronger-than-expected earnings for its third quarter.
• Coca-Cola Co KO reported in-line earnings for its third quarter, while sales exceeded estimates.