A Peek Into The Market Before The Opening Bell

Pre-open movers US stock futures moved up today as investor sentiments improved after Alcoa AA announced positive results for the second quarter. While futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 53 points to 10234, those on the S&P 500 moved up 7.1 points to 1083.7. Meanwhile, Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 14.75 points to 1835. A Peek Into Global Markets All European bourses were higher today, driven by earnings releases and on reports of relaxation in planned global bank capital rules. While STOXX Europe 600 Index added 1.91%, London’s FTSE 100 Index is up 1.97%. Most Asian stock markets finished the trading day in the red. While Japan's Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.11%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.67%. China's Shanghai Composite was down 1.60%. Broker Recommendation Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Inc, seeing "good value" in shares of The Blackstone Group BX, raised its price target this morning. KBW, which maintains an Outperform rating on The Blackstone Group, raised its price target to $18.50 from $17. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analysts contend that "the sharp selloff in the stocks of alternative managers in Q2 was way over done and there is good value in the group." Breaking news

• Borders Group BGP today announced that the company has entered into an agreement to sell Paperchase Products Limited to Primary Capital Limited, a leading U.K.-based private equity firm. Under the agreement, Borders Group will continue to purchase and carry products designed and sourced by Paperchase in its U.S. stores. To read the full story, click here.
• Accenture ACN has acquired Acceria, a privately held company based in France that specializes in providing business processes and methodologies dedicated to the after-sales operations of industrial companies. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. To read the full story, click here.
• According to the Wall Street Journal, Avis Budget Group CAR is in the process of outbidding its top rival, Hertz Global Holdings HTZ, to buy Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group DTG. To read the full news, click here.
• Board of directors of KLA-Tencor Corp KLAC has approved a sharp hike in its quarterly dividend. To read the full news, click here.