What you need to know before the US open
US stocks futures were flat today, following two days of advances for the S&P 500 and some fairly sombre equities releases.
European shares have continued to feel the heat, as political angst ahead of the EU elections outweighed supportive noises from the ECB.
Three policymakers are set to speak this afternoon, with economists hoping for more clues as to its plans for the June policy meeting.
Corporate news
Office supply specialist Staples plummeted 10.6 per cent, after it forecast a fall in sales in the current quarter.
The home improvements store Home Depot shed 1.6 per cent in pre-market trading, after reporting disappointing quarterly sales and a sluggish start to the spring.
The hedge fund Brevan Howard has said it’s winding down a one-off $385m mortgage fund ahead of schedule.
And the US’s biggest sports goods retailer, Dick’s Sporting Goods, plunged 10 per cent in pre-market trading today, as demand for golf and hunting gear waned.
Data in focus
- 5.30pm: Philadelphia Fed’s Plosser speech
- 6.00pm: Fed’s Dudley speech