(By Balachander) U.S. stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on the Wall Street as investors digested corporate earnings reports, including weak results from Apple Inc.
Mini Dow Industrial Average futures advanced 121 points to 12,645. The Nasdaq Futures shed 5.25 points to 2,543.25. Standard and Poor's 500 futures added 8.10 points to 1,337.60.
On the economic front, a report from the Commerce Department at 10 am ET may show that new home sales were 370,000 in June, versus 369,000 in May.
On Tuesday, U.S. stocks retreated for the third straight day amid continuing worries about the financial situation in the eurozone and disappointing earnings reports, including United Parcel Service Inc.
Hot Stocks Of The Day: AAPL, BA, ALTR, NFLX, TRIP, WLP, JNPR
In corporate news, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) retreated 4.66 percent in the premarket after the technology giant posted quarterly earnings and revenue that trailed market expectations, as consumers wait for the new version of iPhone5. iPhone sales jumped 28 percent to 26.0 million units from the same period of last year, yet dropped nearly 26 percent on a sequential basis.
Altera Corp. (NASDAQ:ALTR) jumped 10 percent in premarket after the programmable chip maker delivered better than expected quarterly sales. The company forecast a low-to-mid single digit sales growth for the third quarter on a sequential basis.
Netflix Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) plunged 16.66 percent in premarket after the California-based video streaming company posted lower quarterly earnings as margins contracted.
Tripadvisor Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) tumbled 14.88 percent in premarket after the online travel research company posted second-quarter revenue that trailed expectations.
WellPoint Inc. (NYSE:WLP) lost 9.31 percent in premarket after the Indianapolis, Indiana-based health benefits company reduced its guidance for the full year following weaker than expected quarterly numbers.
Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) added 2.67 percent after the aerospace giant boosted its 2012 earnings forecast following better-than-expected quarterly results, driven by strong commercial airplane deliveries.
Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F), PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE:PEP), Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE:LLY), Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) and Hess Corp. (NYSE:HES) were active in premarket following their quarterly reports.
Juniper Networks Inc. (NYSE:JNPR) rose 3.61 percent in premarket following better-than-forecast earnings and revenue for the second quarter. However, the company issued a downbeat guidance for the third quarter.
Global Markets:
European markets traded higher amid lingering concerns over the region's debt woes. Germany's DAX added 1.14 percent to trade at 6,463.15. France's CAC40 traded 1.08 percent higher at 3,107.93. U.K.'s FTSE 100 rose 0.23 percent to trade at 5,511.91.
Among Asian markets, China's Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index dropped 0.49 percent to finish at 2,136.15. Japan's Nikkei 225 tumbled 1.44 percent to end at 8,365.90. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slipped 0.14 percent to end at 18,877.33. India's BSE Sensex finished at 16,846.05, down 0.43 percent.
Market Scan:
Ahead of the opening bell, crude oil futures advanced 0.38 percent to $88.840 per barrel. Gold futures jumped 1.42 percent to $1,603.3 per ounce.
In the currency market, the euro traded 0.82 percent higher against the U.S. dollar at 1.2160 while the British pound shed 0.09 percent against the greenback to 1.5492. The dollar inched 0.06 percent higher against the Japanese yen to 78.2400.