Morning Wire — US Stock-Index Futures Pointed Down

US index futures are lower again this morning while investors wait for some conclusion to the never-ending soap opera that is the Greek debt swap deal. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke testifies this morning in front the Senate Budget Committee, but isn’t expected to reveal anything new. More earnings reports are due this morning and here’s our rundown of what’s on tap. In Asia, investors were expecting a monetary easing plan in China, which did not materialize and sent stocks lower.

At about 8:15 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is down -1.09% at 6,691.30 and France’s CAC 40 is down -0.63%, at 3,382.33. In London, the FTSE 100 is down -0.63%, at 5,854.96.

In Asia, the Hang Seng index closed down -0.05%, at 20,699.20 and the Nikkei index closed down -0.13%, at 8,917.52. The Shanghai exchange closed down -1.68%, at 2,291.90.

Dow futures are down -0.19%, at 12,752.00. The Nasdaq 100 is down -0.35%, at 2,517.00 and the S&P is down -0.32%, at 1,334.80.

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 0.133% at 79.183.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are mixed this morning, with WTI down -0.67% at $96.26/barrel and Brent is up 0.16% at $116.11/barrel. Gold is down -0.59% this morning, at $1,714.80/ounce.

Paul Ausick