(By Balachander) U.S. stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on the Wall Street as focus remained on continued worries arising out of the euro zone.
Mini Dow Industrial Average futures dipped 14 points to 12,631. The Nasdaq Futures inched up 0.50 points to 2,579.25. Standard and Poor's 500 futures shed 2.70 points to 1,341.
In European news, a report from Markit Economics said the eurozone private sector contracted for a sixth month in July. Meanwhile, a survey showed Germany's private sector contracted for a third consecutive month, and Moody's lowered the nation's rating outlook to negative.
The latest hints from Spain pointed that the country could require a full bailout. Spain's Murcia region has reportedly sought help from the government for financial aid after Valencia and more regions are likely to follow suit.
On Monday, U.S. stocks closed sharply lower as fresh concerns over the mounting financial woes in Spain dented the sentiment.
Hot Stocks Of The Day: AAPL, UPS, TXN, PFE, VMW, DV, VMW, BRKR
In corporate news, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is due to post its third-quarter results after the market closes. The Cupertino, California-based technology giant is expected to report 33 percent growth in earnings and 30.7 percent rise in sales for the April to June period.(see Apple (AAPL) Q3 Preview: Another Blowout Quarter In The Offing)
United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE:UPS) reported lower than expected quarterly results due to weaker economic conditions. Further, the package delivery company cut its 2012 earnings outlook, sending its shares down 3.99 percent in premarket.
Texas Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ:TXN) fell 1.19 percent in premarket after the chip maker guided third quarter below consensus. TXN sees revenue of $3.21 billion to $3.47 billion for the current quarter, versus consensus estimate of $3.54 billion.
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) declined 1.69 percent after the pharmaceutical giant announced negative results from a late-stage trial of its experimental Alzheimer's drug.
VMware Inc. (NYSE:VMW) lost 3.62 percent in premarket after the provider of virtualization-based cloud infrastructure services posted lower quarterly earnings and said it will acquire Nicira Inc. for about $1.05 billion in cash plus about $210 million of assumed unvested equity awards.
DeVry Inc. (NYSE:DV) retreated 29.25 percent in premarket after the Downers Grove, Illinois-based for-profit education company warned that fourth-quarter results will miss Wall Street expectations. The company expects EPS of 43 cents to 46 cents on revenue between $500 million and $510 million. Analysts expect earnings of 79 cents per share on revenue of $519.2 million.
AT&T (NYSE:T) posted higher than expected quarterly earnings, driven by smartphone sales and margin expansion in wireless. The strong results sent the stock 1.05% higher in the premarket.
Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT) reported a rise in quarterly earnings helped by growth in sales and the aerospace company raised its forecast for 2012.
Bruker Corp. (NASDAQ:BRKR), which makes life science systems, forecasts earnings for the second quarter that trailed market expectations, citing softening customer demand, higher spending and a weaker euro.
Global Markets:
European markets traded lower amid mounting concerns over the region's debt woes. Germany's DAX fell 0.10 percent to trade at 6,412.69. France's CAC40 traded flat at 3,101.55. U.K.'s FTSE 100 dipped 0.17 percent to trade at 5,524.70.
Among Asian markets, China's Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index added 0.24 percent to finish at 2,146.59. Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 0.24 percent to end at 8,488.09. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index retreated 0.79 percent to end at 18,093.20. India's BSE Sensex finished at 16,918.08, up 0.24 percent.
Market Scan:
Ahead of the opening bell, crude oil futures declined 0.74 percent to $87.490 per barrel. Gold futures shed 0.29 percent to $1,572.9 per ounce.
In the currency market, the euro traded 0.26 percent lower against the U.S. dollar at 1.2085 while the British pound gained 0.12 percent against the greenback to 1.5525. The dollar shed 0.18 percent against the Japanese yen to 78.2500.