A Peek Into The Market Before The Trading Starts

Pre-open movers US stock futures are mixed this morning. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 4 points to 14,559.00 and S&P 500 index futures rose 0.80 points to 1,560.00. Nasdaq 100 futures gained 6.25 points to 2,787.25.

A Peek Into Global Markets European markets were higher today. The STOXX Europe 600 Index rose 0.24%, London's FTSE 100 Index gained 0.32%, French CAC 40 Index climbed 0.51% and German DAX 30 index rose 0.05%.

Asian markets ended mixed, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average dropping 0.24 points, China's Shanghai Composite gaining 0.64% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 rising 1.37%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index climbed 0.70% and India's Sensex fell 1.15%.

Broker Recommendation Analysts at Citigroup downgraded Lufkin Industries (NASDAQ: LUFK) from “buy” to “sell.” The target price for Lufkin has been raised from $75 to $88.50.

Lufkin shares closed at $87.96 yesterday.

Breaking news

• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ: KTOS) announced today that its Public Safety and Security Division has recently received $7 million in contract awards to provide specialized security systems for a mass transit authority and other critical infrastructure. To read the full news, click here.
• Columbia Laboratories (NASDAQ: CBRX) has amended its license and supply agreement with Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA (MRK.DE), Darmstadt, Germany, for CRINONE® (progesterone gel) through May 2020, representing an extension of five years beyond the current term, which was due to expire in May 2015. To read the full news, click here.
• In an effort that will accelerate commercialization of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology and the development of next-generation transistors, SEMATECH announced today that Intermolecular (NASDAQ: IMI) has joined SEMATECH's Lithography and Front End Processes (FEP) programs. To read the full news, click here.
• HP Autonomy today announced that ENCO Systems, a global provider of radio automation and live television audio solutions, has selected Autonomy's Intelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL) to upgrade ENCO's latest-generation enCaption product. To read the full news, click here.