A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are lower this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 40 points to 12,493.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index fell 6 points to 1,330.70. Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 6.25 points to 2,365.75. A Peek Into Global Markets Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 1.1032%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 0.14% and China's Shanghai Composite dipping 0.21%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 1.0128% and India's Sensex dropped 0.12%. European markets were lower today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has dropped 0.53%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved down 0.73%, German DAX 30 index fell 0.34% and France CAC 40 index fell 0.49%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Kaufman Bros downgraded NetScout Systems Inc NTCT from “buy” to “hold.” The target price for NetScout Systems has been lowered from $29.50 to $16.50. NTCT shares surged 0.35% to $17.20 in after-hours trading. Breaking news

• Microsemi Corporation MSCC today announced it has acquired privately-held ASIC Advantage, Inc. To read the full news, click here.
• Zhongpin Inc. HOGS today announced that its board of directors has approved a stock repurchase program of up to $10 million of its outstanding stock over the next 12 months. To read the full news, click here.
• Schiff Nutrition Group, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Schiff Nutrition International, Inc. WNI, and Aker BioMarine expanded their supply agreement through at least June 2016 to provide Schiff high quality Aker BioMarine krill oil. To read the full news, click here.
• ENGlobal ENG announced today that it has been awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction services agreement from Georgia-Pacific Chemicals LLC, a leading chemical manufacturer. To read the full news, click here.