US Stock Futures Signal Lower Start On Wall Street, Libya Unrest Continues

US stock futures are lower this morning as unrest continued in the major oil-producing state of Libya. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 100 points to 12,275.00, while those for the S&P 500 index dropped 16.6 points to 1,325.60. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 declined 36 points to 2,359.00. US stocks closed higher on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average gaining 0.59% the Nasdaq 100 index rising 0.08% and S&P 500 index gaining 0.19%. US markets were closed on Monday for the Presidents Day holiday. Data on Case-Shiller home prices for February will be released at 9 a.m. ET. However, the February Conference Board consumer-confidence survey will be released at 10 a.m. ET. Macy's Inc

is projected to report its Q4 EPS at $1.52 on revenue of $8.27 billion. Hewlett-Packard Company

is estimated to report its FQ3 EPS at $1.29 on revenue of $32.95 billion. Wal-Mart Stores Inc

is expected to post its Q4 earnings at $1.31 per share on revenue of $117.68 billion. Office Depot

is expected to post a Q4 loss at $0.03 per share on revenue of $2.97 billion. Home Depot

reported its Q4 EPS at $0.36, beating the consensus of $0.31. HD reported its Q4 revenue at $15.13 billion, versus the consensus of $14.80 billion. According to the reports, the death toll is now up to 300 in Libya. Negative sentiment ruled the European markets today. While STOXX Europe 600 Index has dropped 0.92%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved down 1.07%. Asian markets ended in the negative territory, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 1.78%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.87% and China's Shanghai Composite losing 2.62%. Moody's Investors Service lowered Japan's ratings outlook from stable to negative. Oil and gold prices jumped overnight. Crude oil for April delivery gained $6.87 to $96.55 a barrel. Gold for April delivery surged $8 to $1,396.60. The dollar gained versus major rivals, with the dollar index (DXY) gaining 0.23%. Read more