Stock futures struggle, with confidence data ahead
Deal news for Applied Material, Facebook gets broker upgrade
MADRID (MarketWatch) — U.S. stock-market futures were making little headway Tuesday, as concerns over debt-ceiling negotiations and recent comments from Federal Reserve officials weighed on investors. Data on home prices and consumer confidence are ahead, while another Fed official will hit the speaking trail.
Lennar Corp. reported results ahead of the bell, while KB Home is also due, and shares of Applied Materials Inc. rose on deal news.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (CBE
JZ3) rose 7 points to 15,333, while those for the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (GLC:SPZ3) fell 0.2 point to 1,692.70. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index (GLC:NDZ3) edged up 5.25 points to 3,214.25.
Analysts at Monex Capital Markets said worries about the debt-ceiling impasse are pushing S&P 500 futures to trade under 1,700 for the first time in a week. “Political grandstanding being what it is, it seems highly unlikely that a compromise won’t be arrived at, but markets never like uncertainty,” the analysts said in a note. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stock-future...atest_news
