US Stock Futures Down As China Lifts Key Rates

US stock futures are lower this morning as China lifted its key lending and deposit rates. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 28 points to 11,494.00 and those for the S&P 500 index fell 3.60 points to 1,249.40. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index dipped 2.25 points to 2,228.25. US stock markets closed mixed on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 0.12%. However, the Nasdaq Composite and S&P 500 indexes dropped on Thursday. Wall Street was closed on Friday for Christmas Eve. No major economic data are due to be released on Monday. Cal-Maine Foods

reported its Q2 diluted EPS at $0.63 on revenue of $234.5 million. The airline sector will remain in focus for the holiday week. Shares of US Airways Group Inc

and United Continental Holdings

will remain in focus. According to reports, a blizzard on the East Coast has closed John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and more than 1,400 flights in the area have been canceled. Negative sentiments ruled the European markets today, with auto makers as Volkswagen AG

and Daimler AG

, both dropping by 4%. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has lost 0.68%. Mostly Asian markets ended in the negative territory, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average adding 0.75%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving down 0.41% and China's Shanghai Composite dipping 1.90%. Gold futures for February delivery gained $2.70 to $1,383.20 an ounce. However, crude oil futures for February dropped $0.24 to $91.27 per barrel. The dollar lost around 0.3% against the euro. Read more