A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting durable-goods data. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 23 points to 12,304.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index fell 2.80 points to 1,310.80. Nasdaq 100 futures declined 3 points to 2,298.75. A Peek Into Global Markets Most Asian markets ended lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 0.57%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving down 0.99% and China's Shanghai Composite declining 0.91%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.07% and India's Sensex dropped 0.91%. European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has gained 0.32%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.02%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Piper Jaffray upgraded Career Education Corporation CECO from “underweight” to “neutral.” The target price for CECO has been raised from $20 to $25. CECO shares gained 3.93% to close at $21.96 yesterday. Breaking news

• Costco Wholesale Corp COST reported a 5.9% rise in its fiscal third-quarter net profit on Wednesday. Costco reported its quarterly net profit at $324 million, or $0.73 per share, up from $306 million, or $0.68 per share, in the year-earlier period. To read the full news, click here.
• VIVUS, Inc. VVUS today announced positive results from a phase 3, placebo-controlled clinical trial of the investigational drug avanafil for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in patients following a radical prostatectomy. To read the full news, click here.
• Hormel Foods Corp HRL reported a 41% rise in its fiscal second-quarter net profit and raised its projections on Wednesday. To read the full news, click here.
• French finance minister Christine Lagarde announced her candidacy for the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Wednesday, defying a growing chorus of critics who challenge traditional European leadership. To read the full news, click here.

Read more from Benzinga's Markets.