A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are higher this morning after another strong earthquake rattled northeastern Japan. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 33 points to 12,359.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index gained 3.70 points to 1,327.50. Nasdaq 100 futures added 8.75 points to 2,326.75. A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were mixed today. While STOXX Europe 600 Index has dropped 0.24%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.14%. Most Asian markets ended lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 0.50%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gaining 0.57% and China's Shanghai Composite losing 0.24%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.38% and India's Sensex declined 0.97%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Morgan Stanley upgraded Navistar International Corporation NAV from “equal weight” to “overweight.” The target price for NAV has been raised from $61 to $89. NAV shares fell 0.48% to close at $66.63 on Friday. Breaking news

• Endo Pharmaceuticals ENDP and American Medical Systems AMMD announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Endo will acquire AMS, a leading provider of world-class devices and therapies for male and female pelvic health, for $30 per share, or $2.9 billion in cash, which includes the assumption and repayment of $312 million of AMS debt. To read the full news, click here.
• NYSE Euronext's NYX board of directors have rejected a $11.3 billion bid from Nasdaq NDAQ and IntercontinentalExchange, Inc. ICE in favor of a $10.2 billion deal with Germany's Deutsche Boerse, it was announced Sunday. To read the full news, click here.
• Benchmark Electronics Inc BHE lowered its projections for the first quarter. To read the full news, click here.
• The United Kingdom's Independent Commission on Banking recommended Monday that the nation's banks increase Tier 1 capital levels to about 10 percent. To read the full news, click here.

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