(By Balaseshan) U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on
the Wall Street, weighed by disappointing results from Apple (AAPL) and
Amazon.com (AMZN), amid higher than expected third quarter gross
domestic product.
Mini Dow Industrial Average futures fell 24 points to 13,032. The
Nasdaq futures dipped 3 points to 2,667. Standard and Poor's 500 futures
shed 5.90 points to 1,402.30.
Spain's unemployment rate hit a
record high of 25% in the third quarter, as the jobless total grew to
nearly 5.8 million people. The data reflects the impact of the region's
recession, and Spain's government cuts aimed at restoring stability to
the country's finances.
On the U.S. economic front, a report from the Bureau of Economic
Analysis showed real gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of
2.0 percent in the third quarter, while expectations were in for the
growth estimate of 1.9 percent. GDP measures the annualized change in
the inflation-adjusted value of all goods and services produced by the
economy.
At 9.55 am ET, the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan will
release a report on the final index of consumer sentiment for October,
with expectations of a reading of 83.
On Thursday, U.S. stocks
ended on a modestly higher note amid upbeat economic figures and
corporate results, even as heavyweights Apple and Amazon reported lower
than expected earnings.
Hot Stocks Of The Day: AAPL, AMZN, EXPE, CERN, CTCT, VRSN, DECK
In
corporate news, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) reported quarterly earnings
that trailed market expectations. The technology giant, which declared a
quarterly dividend of $2.65 a share, guided the first-quarter below
market expectations.
Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) gained 2.37 percent in premarket amid
the company's quarterly loss and sales that trailed market expectations
as expenses jumped, and the online retail giant guided fourth-quarter
below consensus.
Expedia Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) jumped 17.01 percent in premarket after
the company's third quarter earnings topped Street's expectations.
Cerner
Corp. (NASDAQ: CERN) climbed 13.25 percent in premarket after the
company's third quarter results beat Street's expectations. It guided
in-line fourth quarter earnings and revenue.
Constant Contact Inc. (NASDAQ: CTCT) plunged 21.32 percent in
premarket after the company guided fourth quarter below consensus and
lowered fiscal 2012 revenue below Street's view.
Verisign Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) dropped 16.74 percent in premarket after the company's in line third quarter results.
Deckers Outdoor Corp. (NASDAQ: DECK) fell 18.43 percent in premarket
after the company's third quarter revenue missed Street's expectations
and lowered guidance for the fourth quarter and fiscal 2012.
Global Markets:
European markets mixed, with Germany's DAX down 0.01 percent to trade
at 7,199.70. France's CAC40 rose 0.19 percent to trade at 3,418.15.
U.K.'s FTSE 100 traded at 5,776.82, down 0.49 percent.
Among Asian
markets, China's Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index fell 1.68
percent to end at 2,066.21. Japan's Nikkei 225 tumbled 1.35 percent to
finish at 8,933.06. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index slipped 1.21 percent to
close at 21,545.57. India's BSE Sensex closed at 18,625.34, down 0.71
percent.
Commodity & Currency Scan:
Ahead of the
opening bell, crude oil futures shed 0.59 percent to $85.54 per barrel.
Gold futures dipped 0.34 percent to $1,706.10 per ounce.
In the
currency market, the euro shed 0.23 percent against the U.S. dollar to
1.2905. The British pound dipped 0.04 percent against the greenback to
1.6113, while the dollar fell 0.46 percent against the Japanese yen to
79.9400.