Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher open on Monday, as the Federal Reserve's latest policy statement continued to support equity markets, although fresh signs of possible stimulus tapering before the year end limited gains.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.09% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.13% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.28% increase.
U.S. stocks remained supported after the Fed last week said it wanted to see more evidence of a sustained economic recovery before it adjusted the scale of its bond buying program.
The decision surprised markets, which had been expecting the U.S. central bank to cut its USD85 billion-a-month stimulus program by USD10 billion to USD15 billion.
However, investors remained cautious after St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard on Friday said the decision not to taper in September was “close” and indicated that there could be a small reduction in bond purchases in October.
In the tech sector, BlackBerry was likely to be in focus, with shares down 4.18% in pre-market trade, after the smartphone maker on Friday announced preliminary second-quarter results that disappointed market expectations.
The company also said it will cut approximately 4,500 jobs, or nearly 40% of its workforce, as part of a massive restructuring plan.
Investor were also eyeing Apple, following the company's worldwide launch of the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S over the weekend. Shares climbed 0.42% in early trading.
Among Internet-related stocks, Facebook slid 0.72% pre-market after hitting record highs on Friday, when Cowen upgraded the social-networking giant to "outperform" from "market perform" and lifted the price target to USD53 from USD29.
Other stocks likely to remain in focus included RedHat, scheduled to report quarterly results later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed to lower. The EURO STOXX 50 slipped 0.16%, France’s CAC 40 inched up 0.09%, Germany's DAX dipped 0.03%, while Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.20%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index shed 0.56%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index remained closed for a national holiday.
Also Monday, data showed that the preliminary reading of China’s HSBC manufacturing purchasing managers’ index rose to a six-month high of 51.2 in September, up from 50.1 in August. Economists had forecast a reading of 50.9.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.09% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.13% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.28% increase.
U.S. stocks remained supported after the Fed last week said it wanted to see more evidence of a sustained economic recovery before it adjusted the scale of its bond buying program.
The decision surprised markets, which had been expecting the U.S. central bank to cut its USD85 billion-a-month stimulus program by USD10 billion to USD15 billion.
However, investors remained cautious after St. Louis Federal Reserve President James Bullard on Friday said the decision not to taper in September was “close” and indicated that there could be a small reduction in bond purchases in October.
In the tech sector, BlackBerry was likely to be in focus, with shares down 4.18% in pre-market trade, after the smartphone maker on Friday announced preliminary second-quarter results that disappointed market expectations.
The company also said it will cut approximately 4,500 jobs, or nearly 40% of its workforce, as part of a massive restructuring plan.
Investor were also eyeing Apple, following the company's worldwide launch of the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S over the weekend. Shares climbed 0.42% in early trading.
Among Internet-related stocks, Facebook slid 0.72% pre-market after hitting record highs on Friday, when Cowen upgraded the social-networking giant to "outperform" from "market perform" and lifted the price target to USD53 from USD29.
Other stocks likely to remain in focus included RedHat, scheduled to report quarterly results later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed to lower. The EURO STOXX 50 slipped 0.16%, France’s CAC 40 inched up 0.09%, Germany's DAX dipped 0.03%, while Britain's FTSE 100 fell 0.20%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index shed 0.56%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index remained closed for a national holiday.
Also Monday, data showed that the preliminary reading of China’s HSBC manufacturing purchasing managers’ index rose to a six-month high of 51.2 in September, up from 50.1 in August. Economists had forecast a reading of 50.9.