Morning Wire -- US Stock-Index Futures Sliding

US index futures are lower this morning as the negotiations between Greece and its creditors once more come to the fore. Discussions over the weekend led to no resolution, and investors worry that the country will go through a “disorderly default,” rather than the controlled default that the Greek government and the rest of the Eurozone wants. In Asia, last Friday’s good economic news was welcomed by investors, especially in Japan. Hong Kong and Shanghai investors were less impressed.

At about 8:15 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is down -0.18% at 6,754.38 and France’s CAC 40 is down -0.79%, at 3,400.90. In London, the FTSE 100 is down -0.17%, at 5,891.23.

In Asia, the Hang Seng index closed down -0.23%, at 20,709.90 and the Nikkei index closed up 1.10%, at 8,929.20. The Shanghai exchange closed up 0.03%, at 2,331.14.

Dow futures are down -0.23%, at 12,764.00. The Nasdaq 100 is down -0.27%, at 2,516.25 and the S&P is down -0.29%, at 1,335.20.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is stronger against the British pound, the euro, and the Japanese yen. The US dollar index is up 0.652% at 79.457.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are lower this morning, with WTI down -0.92% at $96.94/barrel and Brent is down -0.44% at $114.08/barrel. Gold is down -1.38% this morning, at $1,716.20/ounce.

Paul Ausick