German Ban on Short-Sales Pulls US Stock Futures Down

US stock futures fell today, a day after the implementation of a hastily-drawn-up ban on short-sales by Germany. The ban has served to heighten investor worries surrounding the financial health of the European governments. While futures on the S&P 500 lost 9.7 points to 1,109.00, those on the Nasdaq 100 moved down 16.5 points to 1,871.50. Meanwhile, Dow Jones Industrial Average futures slipped 73 points. As the news of the ban hit the markets across the world today, the euro plummeted to its four-year low before moving slightly up to $1.22. Overseas, European stocks, especially financials like Barclays BCS, fell sharply. Asian markets also ended in the negative territory. Apart from the German ban, investors would be focusing on the CPI data due shortly today. Some of the companies that are making their presence felt in the market are Hewlett-Packard HPQ, Deere DE and Target TGT. While HPQ reported impressive first-quarter earnings late yesterday, DE upped its earnings projections. Meanwhile, TGT was immensely happy on posting higher-than-expected first-quarter earnings.