A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are slightly higher this morning, as investors are awaiting earnings reports and economic data. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 23 points to 12,573.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 2.70 points to 1,336.20. Nasdaq 100 futures climbed 4.00 points to 2,427.50.

A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were mixed today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index dropped 0.36%, London's FTSE 100 Index moved up 0.11%, French CAC 40 index fell 0.60% and German DAX 30 index rose 0.02%.

Most Asian markets ended higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.4747%, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 moving up 0.92% and China's Shanghai Composite rising 0.53%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose 1.2506% and India's Sensex dipped 1.87%. Broker Recommendation Analysts at Ticonderoga upgraded F5 Networks Inc (NASDAQ: FFIV) from “neutral” to “outperform.” The target price for F5 Networks is set to $130.

F5 Networks shares rose 1.11% to $98.58 in pre-market trading.

Breaking news

• DryShips Inc. (NASDAQ: DRYS) and OceanFreight Inc. (NASDAQ: OCNF) announced today that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement for DryShips to acquire the outstanding shares of OceanFreight for consideration per share of $19.85. To read the full news, click here.
• Covidien PLC (NYSE: COV) reported a 47% rise in its FQ3 net profit. Covidien's quarterly net profit surged to $535 million, or $1.07 per share, from $364 million, or $0.72 per share, in the year-ago period. Its revenue climbed 14% to $2.93 billion. To read the full news, click here.
• UBS AG (NYSE: UBS) reported downbeat Q2 profit on Tuesday. To read the full news, click here.
• Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F) reported upbeat profit for the second quarter. Ford's quarterly net income dropped 8% y/y to $2.4 billion, or $0.59 per share, from $2.6 billion, or $0.61 per share. To read the full news, click here.