US Stock Futures Slightly Down On Disappointing News From Ireland And Spain

US stock futures moved down slightly, after disappointing news from Ireland and Spain. The jobs data of Germany offset some of the decline in Europe. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 4 points to 10,776. S&P 500 futures dropped 2.10 points to 1,139 and Nasdaq 100 futures lost 1.25 points to 2,008. US stocks closed slightly lower yesterday, with the blue-chip Dow index losing 0.21%. The data on weekly jobless claims and 3rd release of Q2 GDP are scheduled to release at 8:30 a.m. ET. The September Chicago PMI index is due at 9:45 a.m. ET. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will testify on financial regulatory reform in Washington, after the opening bell. American International Group Inc AIG has agreed to sell its 2 Japanese life insurance units, AIG Star Life Insurance Co Ltd and AIG Edison Life Insurance Company, to Prudential Financial Inc PRU for $4.8 billion. The Central Bank of Ireland elaborated on the costs associated with rescuing its beleaguered banking sector. Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the credit rating of Spain. As per the Federal Labor Office, the number of unemployed dropped by 40,000 in September in Germany. Majority of the Asian markets closed lower with Nikkei Stock Average declining 2%. The stock markets in Europe also moved down, with the Stoxx Europe 600 index falling about 0.2%. Gold for December delivery rose $5.80 to $1,316.10 an ounce. The US dollar, moved down against other major rivals, with the dollar index (DXY) falling about 0.28%. Read more from Benzinga's Markets.