Morning Wire -- US Stock-Index Futures Marginally Lower

US index futures are very slightly lower this morning as markets await the US report on non-farm payrolls. The consensus estimate is that 210,000 jobs were added in February. In Europe, the Greek debt swap was agreed to by about 80% of the country’s creditors and that has lifted shares slightly in France and Germany. In Asia, markets are higher on lower-than-expected Chinese inflation and a falling Japanese yen.

At about 8:00 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is up 0.29% at 6,854.48 and France’s CAC 40 is up 0.10%, at 3,481.72. In London, the FTSE 100 is down -0.09%, at 5,854.61.

In Asia, the Hang Seng index closed up 0.89%, at 21,086.00 and the Nikkei index closed up 1.65%, at 9,929.74. The Shanghai exchange closed up 0.79%, at 2,439.46.

Dow futures are flat, at 12,844.00. The Nasdaq is down -0.01%, at 2,632.75 and the S&P is down -0.04%, at 1,360.10.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is stronger against the euro, the British pound, and the Japanese yen. The US dollar index is up 0.46% at 79.507.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are mixed this morning, with WTI up 0.29% at $106.894/barrel and Brent is down -0.23% at $125.15/barrel. Gold is up 0.16% this morning, at $1,701.50/ounce.

Paul Ausick