Tuesday 27 September 2016 12:31 pm

Before the bell: What you need to know before the US market open

A rise in US stock futures suggests investors are feeling more confident about a Clinton victory in the US election following the first candidate debate last night.

Here's what you need to know before the US open at 2:30pm London time.

The S&P is set to rise by 0.27 per cent at the open, while the Nasdaq is 0.25 per cent higher in the pre-market. The Dow is up by 0.23 per cent. The US 10-year yield is down one basis point at 1.57 per cent.

European markets have fallen back after opening broadly higher, while most Asian markets ended the session up.

Chinese stocks performed well after new data showed the strongest growth in industrial profits in almost three years.

Round one goes to…

The first US presidential debate bout is over and financial markets have decided Democrat Hillary Clinton came out on top last night, as stock markets rallied and key currencies soared.

In a pattern which should sound familiar to UK market-watchers over the last few months, markets have started to move back-and-forth in response to developments on the campaign trail.

Good news for the Republican candidate Donald Trump has resulted in a mini rush to safe havens and a fleeing of currencies such as the Mexican peso, which are closely tied to the US economy.

"There's a thing called 'Trump thermometer'," said David Bloom, head of forex strategy at HSBC. "If you want to know who won the presidential debate, don't go to Twitter or Facebook. Just look at the Mexican peso."

Meanwhile…

Trade is growing at its slowest pace since the financial crisis amid crumbling commodity prices and a globalisation backlash, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has said.

The body which sets the standards for global trade said the total value of exports and imports will rise by just 1.7 per cent this year, a massive reduction from its 2.8 per cent growth forecast made in April. That would mark the weakest growth since 2009 and a rare year where trade expands slower than the global economy.

Stocks to watch

Shares in cruise operator Carnival are up 2.3 per cent pre-market, after it raised its earnings guidance for the year.

Last night Carnival said its on its way to its highest ever quarterly earnings and has said it is “well on track” to deliver nearly 25 per cent earnings growth this year. Net income at the Miami-based cruise ship operator reached $1.4bn (£1bn) in the third quarter. Revenues came in at $5.1bn, $0.2bn higher than the same period of last year.

Shares in troubled German lender Deutsche Bank are falling for a second straight day after yesterday's huge sell off.

The investment bank is down more than three per cent in Germany, and sitting at a record low near €10.20. The falls have promoted some to liken the embattled lender to the failed US bank Lehman Brothers, whose collapse sparked the global financial crisis.

Yesterday's precipitous drop was sparked by reports in Focus magazine over the weekend that German Chancellor Angela Merkel was not prepared to provide state assistance to the lender.

Companies reporting today

Earnings are thin on the ground, though sportswear giant Nike is announcing its latest numbers after the closing bell. Bloomberg estimates it will post $0.56 per share on revenue of $8.87bn.