A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are slightly lower this morning, as investors are awaiting economic data and the European Central Bank (ECB) interest-rate meeting. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 6 points to 12,351.00, while those for the S&P 500 index fell 0.90 point to 1,328.00. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index lost 2.50 points to 2,323.00. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were mixed today. While STOXX Europe 600 Index has gained 0.13%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved down 0.22%. Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.07%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving down 0.12% and China's Shanghai Composite gaining 0.22%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 0.01% and India's Sensex dropped 0.54%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Auriga downgraded Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc MDRX from “buy” to “hold.” The target price for MDRX has been lowered from $25 to $24. MDRX shares fell 0.97% to close at $22.49 yesterday. Breaking news

• Pier 1 Imports Inc PIR reported its Q4 EPS at $0.48, versus the consensus of $0.47. To read the full news, click here.
• bebe stores BEBE today reported retail sales from continuing operations of $100.8 million for the third quarter ended April 2, 2011, a decrease of 0.5% compared to $101.3 million for the fiscal quarter ended April 3, 2010. To read the full news, click here.
• Ingersoll-Rand IR announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of 12 cents per ordinary share of the company, reflecting a 71 percent increase. The board also authorized the repurchase of up to $2 billion of the company's ordinary shares. To read the full news, click here.
• The Buckle Inc.BKE reported 8.4% rise in its March comparable store net sales, for stores open at least one year. To read the full news, click here.

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