A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are higher this morning, ahead of housing-price and consumer-confidence data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 30 points to 11,533, while those for the S&P 500 rose 3.10 points to 1,256. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 gained 3.75 points to 2,234. A Peek Into Global Markets Positive sentiment ruled the European markets today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has advanced 0.21%. Asian markets ended in the negative territory, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average losing 0.61%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving down 0.41% and China's Shanghai Composite dropping 1.74%. Broker Recommendation Piper Jaffray raised its price target on Crocs, Inc. CROX to $20 from $19 and has an Overweight rating on shares. In a note sent to clients, Piper Jaffray writes, "We are maintaining our OW rating and raising our FY11 EPS ests and PT in advance of what we expect to be a very strong Spring season for CROX. We believe 2010 YTD results are clear evidence of global demand for the Crocs brand. Importantly, sales gains in 2010 have been driven by both core and new styles across multiple channels of distribution. While mgmt turnover is never ideal, we believe the company has a solid bench of talent in both finance and operations and expect the CFO position to be filled with a strong strategic fit in the near term." Shares of CROX lost 7 cents yesterday to close at $17.62. Breaking news

• Gushan Environmental Energy Limited GU today announced that the Company is currently in the process of assessing the effect of a recently issued notice on consumption tax issued by the Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China and the State Administration of Taxation of the People's Republic of China. To read the full news, click here.
• Granite City Food & Brewery Ltd. GCFB today announced that it has entered into a letter of intent with Concept Development Partners, LLC to provide equity financing and facilitate debt financing. DHW Leasing, L.L.C. the Company's major shareholder, is also a party to the letter of intent. To read the full news, click here.
• Natus Medical Incorporated BABY today announced that it was awarded, and has shipped, a $1.3 million order for its ALGO hearing screeners from New South Wales, Australia's most populous state. To read the full news, click here.
• Starwood Property Trust STWD today announced that the Company has recently deployed $271.9 million of capital through three separate loan originations. To read the full news, click here.

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