A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are flat this morning, after strong rise in the previous session. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 8 points to 12,026.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index fell 2.30 points to 1,243.70. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 1.50 points to 2,296.50. A Peek Into Global Markets Asian markets ended higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average surging 1.9298%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 2.47% and China's Shanghai Composite gaining 2.29%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 5.6306% and India's Sensex gained 2.23%. European markets were mostly lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has dropped 0.17%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.48%, German DAX 30 index fell 0.56% and France CAC 40 index dropped 0.46%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Wunderlich Securities downgraded Bank of the Ozarks Inc OZRK from “buy” to “hold.” The target price for Bank of the Ozarks is set to $28. Bank of the Ozarks shares gained 6.02% to close at $28.35 yesterday. Breaking news

• Covidien COV today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared SpiderFX® for the treatment of severely calcified lesions used in conjunction with plaque excision in arteries of the lower extremities. To read the full news, click here.
• Williams WMB today announced that its Board of Directors has approved the proposed spinoff of its exploration and production business, WPX Energy, Inc., through a tax-free dividend involving the distribution of all WPX Energy common stock held by Williams to its stockholders. To read the full news, click here.
• Limited Brands Inc LTD reported a 7% rise in its November comparable-store sales. To read the full news, click here.
• Starbucks Coffee UK SBUX announced today its intent to create thousands of new jobs as it significantly steps up its drive-thru program following three years of development and strong customer response to the convenience of Starbucks coffee on-the-go. To read the full news, click here.