Pre-open movers
U.S. stock futures traded lower in early pre-market trade, following the resignation of Gary Cohn, the Director of President
Trump’s National Economic Council. The ADP national employment report for February is schedule for release at 8:15 a.m. ET. Data on
international trade for January and nonfarm productivity for the fourth quarter will be released at 8:30 a.m. ET. New York Federal
Reserve President William Dudley is set to speak in San Juan, Puerto Rico at 7:30 a.m. ET, while Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank
President Raphael Bostic will speak in Fort Lauderdale, FL at 8:00 a.m. ET. New York Federal Reserve Bank President William Dudley
is set to speak in San Juan, Puerto Rico at 8:20 a.m. ET. The Federal Open Market Committee will release its Beige Book report at
2:00 p.m. ET.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 306 points to 24,546.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures
dropped 26.75 points to 2,697.25. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index fell 61.50 points to 6,846.25.
Oil prices traded lower as Brent crude futures fell 0.70 percent to trade at $65.33 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures
declined 0.65 percent to trade at $62.19 a barrel. The Energy Information Administration’s weekly report on petroleum inventories
is schedule for release at 10:30 a.m. ET.
A Peek Into Global Markets
European markets were lower today, with the Spanish Ibex Index falling 0.28 percent, STOXX Europe 600 Index declining 0.48
percent and German DAX 30 index dropping 0.34 percent. The UK's FTSE index was trading lower by 0.04 percent, while French CAC 40
Index fell 0.55 percent.
In Asian markets, Japan’s Nikkei Stock Average fell 0.77 percent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index dropped 1.03 percent, China’s
Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.55 percent and India’s BSE Sensex slipped 0.85 percent.
Broker Recommendation
Analysts at Morgan Stanley upgraded Synovus Financial Corp. (NYSE: SNV) from Underperform to Equal-Weight.
Synovus Financial shares rose 1.93 percent to close at $51.67 on Tuesday.
Breaking news
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H & R Block (NYSE: HRB) reported
stronger-than-expected results for its third quarter.
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Autohome Inc (ADR) (NYSE: ATHM) reported upbeat
earnings for its fourth quarter.
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Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) reported
better-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter.
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AeroVironment Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV) posted a loss
for its fiscal 2018 third quarter and issued weak FY18 earnings guidance. The company also reported it has won a $44.5 million
Puma AE UAS contract from a major country in the Middle East.
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