Morning Wire -- US Stock-Index Futures Down Again

US index futures are moving down this morning as investors wait for the report from the US Commerce Department on factory orders. Economists expect a gain of 1.5% in orders. This afternoon the FOMC releases the minutes of its last meeting, and many investors will be reading the tea leaves for an indication of where the Fed stands on more easing. In Europe, markets are down as traders are ditching bank stocks and yields on Spanish and Italian debt are rising. In Asia, Japanese stocks are down as the yen has gained strength. The Shanghai exchange is closed until Thursday for a holiday.

At about 8:15 a.m. ET, Germany’s DAX is down -0.39% at 7,029.16 and France’s CAC 40 is down -0.69% at 3,438.91. In London, the FTSE 100 is down -0.33%, at 5,855.23.

In Asia, the Hang Seng index closed up 1.31%, at 20,791.00. The Nikkei closed down -0.59% at 10,050.40 and the Shanghai exchange was closed today.

Dow futures are down -0.28%, at 13,152.00. The Nasdaq is down -0.11%, at 2,774.00 and the S&P is down -0.28%, at 1,408.60.

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 0.14% at 78.934.

In commodities, WTI and Brent crude are lower this morning, with WTI down -0.78% at $104.41/barrel and Brent is down -0.53% at $124.77/barrel. Gold is down -0.29% this morning, at $1,674.80/ounce.

Paul Ausick