Morning Wire — US Stock-Index Futures Down Sharply

At about 8:30 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is down -1.04% at 6,369.44 and France’s CAC 40 is down -1.10%, at 3,301.61. In London, the FTSE 100 is down -0.84%, at 5,734.20.

In Asia, the Hong Kong and Shanghai exchanges remain closed for the lunar new year holiday. The Nikkei index closed up 0.22%, at 8,785.33.

Dow futures are down -0.33%, at 12,608.00. The Nasdaq 100 is down -0.35%, at 2,426.50 and the S&P is down -0.49%, at 1,304.70.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is weaker against the British pound and stronger versus the euro and the Japanese yen. The US dollar index is up 0.165% at 79.930.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are lower this morning, with WTI down -0.34% at $99.24/barrel and Brent is down -0.17% at $110.39/barrel. Gold is down -0.69% this morning, at $1,666.80/ounce.

Paul Ausick