A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are higher this morning. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 43 points to 11,916.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index rose 4.20 points to 1,268.70. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 5.00 points to 2,222.75. A Peek Into Global Markets Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 0.69%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 0.29% and China's Shanghai Composite declining 0.17%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.39% and India's Sensex declined 0.01%. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has gained 0.32%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.36%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Robert W. Baird downgraded Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc FCS from “outperform” to “neutral.” The target price for Fairchild Semiconductor has been lowered from $28 to $17. Fairchild Semiconductor shares fell 2.00% to close at $ 16.69 on Friday. Breaking news

• Allied World Assurance Co Holdings AWH agreed to buy Transatlantic Holdings TRH for $3.2 billion in stock. To read the full news, click here.
• VF Corporation VFC announced its plans to buy Timberland Co TBL for $43 per share. To read the full news, click here.
• The BBC today announced the first phase in the sale of Television Centre, White City, London. To read the full news, click here.
• Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers RBA is gearing up for a busy summer in the U.S. agricultural equipment marketplace with more than 360 pieces of agricultural machinery and other assets being sold at upcoming auctions in the Central U.S. To read the full news, click here.

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