A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting wholesale trade data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 111 points to 15,117.00 and S&P 500 index futures fell 13.80 points to 1,628.30. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 24.50 points to 2,962.50.

European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index dipped 1.60%, London's FTSE 100 index dropped 1.57%, French CAC 40 Index declined 1.90% and German DAX 30 index fell 1.55%. Asian markets ended mostly lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 1.45% and Australia's ASX/S&P500 rising 0.41%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index declined 1.20% and India's Sensex tumbled 1.53%.

Analysts at Benchmark downgraded Moody's

from “buy” to “hold.” The target price for Moody's has been raised from $60 to $71. Moody's shares closed at $65.00 yesterday.