A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are higher this morning, as investors are awaiting industrial production and housing data. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 37 points to 12,546.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index rose 4.40 points to 1,330.00. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 5.50 points to 2,340.00. A Peek Into Global Markets Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.09%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 0.61% and China's Shanghai Composite rising 0.13%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.26% and India's Sensex dipped 1.10%. European markets were mixed today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has dropped 0.04%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.04%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Robert W. Baird upgraded Forward Air Corporation FWRD from “neutral” to “outperform.” The target price for FWRD has been raised from $36 to $40. FWRD shares fell 0.75% to close at $31.91 yesterday. Breaking news

• Home Depot Inc HD reported a 12% rise in its fiscal first-quarter net income and raised its earnings forecast for the fiscal year. To read the full news, click here.
• Rentrak Corporation RENT today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a one-year share repurchase program for up to $5.0 million of Rentrak's outstanding common stock. To read the full news, click here.
• O'Charley's Inc CHUX swung to a first-quarter profit, from a loss in the year-ago period. To read the full news, click here.
• Wal-Mart Stores Inc WMT released its results for the fiscal first-quarter on Tuesday. The retailer reported its quarterly profit at $3.4 billion, or $0.97 per share, up from $3.3 billion, or $0.87 per share, in the year-ago period. To read the full news, click here.

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