A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 183 points to 11,198.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 23.10 points to 1,166.80. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 44.75 points to 2,130.50. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index dropped 2.72%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved down 1.90%, French CAC 40 index fell 2.97% and German DAX 30 index dropped 3.88%. Asian markets ended lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 1.25%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving down 1.20% and China's Shanghai Composite dropping 1.61%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 1.3444% and India's Sensex dipped 2.04%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Robert W. Baird upgraded Abercrombie & Fitch Company ANF from “neutral” to “outperform.” The target price for Abercrombie & Fitch is set to $90. Abercrombie & Fitch shares gained 0.20% to $65.00 in after-hours trading. Breaking news

• Sears Holdings Corp SHLD reported wider-than-expected loss for the fiscal second-quarter on Thursday. To read the full news, click here.
• The Coca-Cola Company KO and its Chinese bottling partners today announced a new investment of US$4 billion over the next three years, commencing 2012. To read the full news, click here.
• Chico's FAS, Inc. CHS announced today a definitive agreement to acquire Boston Proper Inc., a Boca Raton, Florida based privately held direct-to-consumer retailer of distinctive women's apparel and accessories. To read the full news, click here.
• J.M. Smucker Co SJM reported an 8.4% rise in its net income for the fiscal first-quarter. To read the full news, click here.