Morning Wire — US Stock-Index Futures Up Slightly
US stock-index futures are slightly higher this morning following the lead of Asia’s markets which closed the last trading day of the year in positive territory. For the full year, though, Asian equities finished with a loss: the Nikkei was…
Going into the last trading day of the year in the US, the DJIA shows a gain of 5.8% for the year and the S&P 500 is up a mere 0.1%. The Nasdaq Composite is down -1.7% for the full year to date.
The European sovereign debt crisis has tormented global markets for virtually the entire year, and while the Eurozone has made some progress addressing the issues, Europe’s debt crisis is likely to continue roiling markets in 2012.
At about 7:40 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is up 0.27% at 5,864.74 and France’s CAC 40 is up 0.22%, at 3,134.33. In London, the FTSE 100 is up 0.14%, at 5,574.39.
In Asia, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng closed up 0.2%, at 18,434.40. The Nikkei index closed up 0.67%, at 8,455.35, and the Shanghai index closed up 1.19%, at 2,199.42.
Dow futures are up 0.09%, at 12,228.00. The Nasdaq 100 is up 0.15%, at 2,280.75 and the S&P is up 0.19%, at 1,259.80.
In the currency markets, the US dollar is slightly stronger against the euro and weaker against the British pound and the Japanese yen. The US dollar index is down about -0.06% at 80.37.
In commodities, both WTI and Brent crude are slightly lower this morning, with WTI at $99.44/barrel and Brent at $107.24/barrel. Gold is making a comeback this morning, up 1.8% at $1,568.60/ounce.
Paul Ausick
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Paul Ausick has been writing for 247Wallst.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.
He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.