A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are higher this morning, ahead of retail-sales and other economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 29 points to 12,896.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 3.50 points to 1,371.50. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 4.75 points to 2,646.25. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.45%, London's FTSE 100 Index surged 0.57%, French CAC 40 Index gained 0.14% and German DAX 30 index rose 0.78%. Asian markets ended mostly lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average falling 0.27%, China's Shanghai Composite dropping 1.17% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropping 0.09%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index gained 0.50%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Sterne Agee downgraded Advanced Micro Devices AMD from “buy” to “neutral.” The target price for Advanced Micro Devices is set to $8.50. Advanced Micro Devices shares gained 4.87% to close at $6.03 on Tuesday. Breaking news

• ENGlobal ENG today announced that it is one of three firms that has been awarded a multiple award contract for the procurement of automated fuel handling equipment (AFHE) support services to the U.S. Military. To read the full news, click here.
• Acacia Research ACTG announced today that a subsidiary has acquired 4 patent portfolios with 48 U.S. and International patents covering technologies relating to online collaboration, data networking, cellular communications and digital cameras. To read the full news, click here.
• Agria GRO today announced that the two-year service contract of Dr. Kenneth J. DeWoskin, who served as a member of the board of directors and the audit committee of the Company, has expired. To read the full news, click here.
• China Cord Blood CO today announced that the Company repurchased an aggregate of 2,191,412 ordinary shares for a total consideration of approximately $6.2 million since August 2011. To read the full news, click here.