Morning Wire -- US Stock-Index Futures Mixed

US index futures are mixed this morning following a booming performance yesterday. In the US, the late afternoon release of the results of the bank stress tests is weighing down the pre-market this morning. In Europe, markets reacted more strongly to the Fed’s FOMC announcement that the US economy continues its slow recovery. In Asia, China’s Premier said that the government had no plans to ease restrictions on property lending, sending mainland Asian markets down sharply.

At about 8:00 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is up 1.11% at 7,073.75 and France’s CAC 40 is up 0.74%, at 3,576.31. In London, the FTSE 100 is up 0.33%, at 5,975.70.

In Asia, the Hang Seng index closed down -0.15%, at 21,307.90 and the Nikkei index closed up 1.53%, at 10,050.50. The Shanghai exchange closed down -2.63%, at 2,391.23.

Dow futures are up 0.05%, at 13,116.00. The Nasdaq is down -0.09%, at 2,691.50 and the S&P is down -0.04%, at 1,390.20.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is stronger against the euro, the Japanese yen, and the British pound. The US dollar index is up 0.15% at 80.312.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are lower this morning, with WTI down -0.21% at $106.49/barrel and Brent is down -0.13% at $126.05/barrel. Gold is down sharply, -2.16%, this morning, at $1,657.60/ounce.

Paul Ausick