A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are mixed this morning, as investors are awaiting nonfarm payrolls data and figures on the June unemployment rate. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 7 points to 12,688.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index fell 1 point to 1,350.70. Nasdaq 100 futures rose 1.50 points to 2,417.00. A Peek Into Global Markets Most Asian markets ended higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average surging 0.7187%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 1.07% and China's Shanghai Composite gaining 0.13%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 0.8711% and India's Sensex dipped 1.30%. European markets were mostly higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index has gained 0.22%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.19%, German DAX 30 index rose 0.33% and France CAC 40 index fell 0.03%.

Broker Recommendation Analysts at Ticonderoga upgraded TJX Companies Inc (The) (NYSE: TJX) from “neutral” to “buy.” The target price for TJX is set to $65.

TJX shares surged 2.23% to close at $31.00 yesterday.

Breaking news

• Regis Corp (NYSE: RGS) reported a 1.7% drop in its fiscal fourth-quarter same-store sales. To read the full news, click here.
• First California Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FCAL) today announced that Diane Dickerson has been appointed senior vice president and chief marketing officer, a newly created position. To read the full news, click here.
• ING Groep NV (NYSE: ING) agreed to sell its car lease division to BMW for €700 million ($1 billion). To read the full news, click here.
• Strategic Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: BEE) today announced that it has closed an $85.0 million limited recourse loan secured by the InterContinental Miami hotel. To read the full news, click here.