A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are lower this morning after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech. Investors are awaiting the Fed's recent summary of regional conditions. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 53 points to 12,019.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index fell 6.20 points to 1,278.60. Nasdaq 100 futures declined 16.50 points to 2,257.25. A Peek Into Global Markets Most Asian markets ended lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.07%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving down 0.70% and China's Shanghai Composite rising 0.23%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 0.91% and India's Sensex declined 0.51%. European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has dropped 1.08%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved down 0.93%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at JP Morgan upgraded Genpact Ltd G from “underweight” to “neutral.” The target price for Genpact has been raised from $16 to $17. Genpact shares rose 0.13% to close at $15.17 yesterday. Breaking news

• SoundBite Communications SDBT today announced the acquisition of key assets of SmartReply, a mobile marketing pioneer. To read the full news, click here.
• Covidien COV today announced that a subsidiary of the Company filed an answer and counterclaims against Applied Medical Resources Corporation for patent misuse, non-infringement and invalidity. To read the full news, click here.
• The interim Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in an interview Wednesday that any U.S. slowdown is likely only temporary, and more Federal Reserve action is not necessary. To read the full news, click here.
• Rentrak Corporation RENT today announced a multi-year StationView Essentials contract to provide local market TV ratings data for three Lockwood Broadcast Group television stations located in Sherman, Texas. To read the full news, click here.

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