Morning Wire -- US Stock-Index Futures Higher

US index futures are higher this morning as investors wait for a slew of data including the report on new unemployment benefits claims and two reports on manufacturing growth. In Europe, yields on short-term Spanish bonds fell, but longer-term yields rose, giving a mixed signal to markets. The Europeans are also waiting for US data to be released. In Asia, China is sticking to its decision to continue restricting housing lending, and that has cooled markets, except in Japan, where the falling yen boosted equities today.

At about 8:15 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is up 0.24% at 7,096.23 and France’s CAC 40 is flat, at 3,564.59. In London, the FTSE 100 is down -0.10%, at 5,939.33.

In Asia, the Hang Seng index closed up 0.21%, at 21,353.50 and the Nikkei index closed up 0.72%, at 10,123.30. The Shanghai exchange closed down -0.73%, at 2,373.77.

Dow futures are up 0.22%, at 13,159.00. The Nasdaq is up 0.31%, at 2,711.00 and the S&P is up 0.24%, at 1,392.10.

In the currency markets, the US dollar is weaker against the euro, the Japanese yen, and the British pound. The US dollar index is down -0.21% at 80.394.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are mixed this morning, with WTI up 0.11% at $105.55/barrel and Brent is down -0.10% at $124.84/barrel. Gold is up 0.32% this morning, at $1,648.20/ounce.

Paul Ausick