A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 12 points to 13,937.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 1.90 points to 1,508.40. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 3 points to 2,740.00.

European markets were mostly higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.13%, London's FTSE 100 Index dropped 0.26%, German DAX 30 Index rose 0.38% and French CAC 40 Index climbed 0.26%. Asian markets ended mostly lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average falling 0.93%, China's Shanghai Composite dropping 0.66% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 Index gaining 0.31%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined 0.34% and India's Sensex fell 0.30%.

Analysts at Janney Capital downgraded Akamai Technologies

from “buy” to “neutral.” The target price for Akamai has been lowered from $45 to $40. Akamai shares dropped 15.80% to $35.01 in pre-market trading.