Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a mixed open on Wednesday, amid speculation over the handling of the financial crisis in the euro zone and after disappointing earnings results from Apple.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a rise of 0.06%, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.04% drop, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.55% decline.
The euro zone's financial troubles remained in focus after ratings agency Moody's downgraded Spain's credit rating by two notches and said it was maintaining a negative outlook on Spain’s rating to reflect the “downside risks from a potential further escalation of the euro area crisis.”
Investors remained cautious amid hopes for a breakthrough on tackling the euro zone's debt crisis after German Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged that this weekend's European Union summit will "mark an important step" in resolving the region's debt woes.
All eyes were on Apple, which saw shares climb 0.54% despite reporting that its fourth-quarter earnings fell short of expectations, with revenue of USD 28.27 billion.
Elsewhere in the technology sector, shares in Samsung Electronics were up 0.34% after it unveiled the first smartphone running on Google's latest version of the Android operating system. Google saw shares jump 1.39% after the news.
U.S. lenders were among the top gainers, tracking their European counterparts as shares in Bank of America skyrocketed 10.12% and Citigroup soared 6.98%, while JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs surged 5.90% and 5.52% respectively.
Bank of America had announced earnings of 56 cents per share, well above expectations, on Tuesday while Goldman Sachs reported its first quarterly loss since 2008.
On the downside, Yahoo saw shares slide 1.46%, though it lived up to lackluster third-quarter expectations. IBM also posted a sharp loss, with shares plummeting 4.12% after the tech giant's revenue barely met forecasts, underscoring fears over slower IT spending.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were broadly higher. The EURO STOXX 50 rose 1.11%, France’s CAC 40 jumped 0.90%, Germany's DAX climbed 1.17%, while Britain's FTSE 100 posted a 0.96% increase.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 1.5%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index added 0.4%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release government data on building permits, housing starts and consumer price inflation.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a rise of 0.06%, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.04% drop, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.55% decline.
The euro zone's financial troubles remained in focus after ratings agency Moody's downgraded Spain's credit rating by two notches and said it was maintaining a negative outlook on Spain’s rating to reflect the “downside risks from a potential further escalation of the euro area crisis.”
Investors remained cautious amid hopes for a breakthrough on tackling the euro zone's debt crisis after German Chancellor Angela Merkel acknowledged that this weekend's European Union summit will "mark an important step" in resolving the region's debt woes.
All eyes were on Apple, which saw shares climb 0.54% despite reporting that its fourth-quarter earnings fell short of expectations, with revenue of USD 28.27 billion.
Elsewhere in the technology sector, shares in Samsung Electronics were up 0.34% after it unveiled the first smartphone running on Google's latest version of the Android operating system. Google saw shares jump 1.39% after the news.
U.S. lenders were among the top gainers, tracking their European counterparts as shares in Bank of America skyrocketed 10.12% and Citigroup soared 6.98%, while JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs surged 5.90% and 5.52% respectively.
Bank of America had announced earnings of 56 cents per share, well above expectations, on Tuesday while Goldman Sachs reported its first quarterly loss since 2008.
On the downside, Yahoo saw shares slide 1.46%, though it lived up to lackluster third-quarter expectations. IBM also posted a sharp loss, with shares plummeting 4.12% after the tech giant's revenue barely met forecasts, underscoring fears over slower IT spending.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were broadly higher. The EURO STOXX 50 rose 1.11%, France’s CAC 40 jumped 0.90%, Germany's DAX climbed 1.17%, while Britain's FTSE 100 posted a 0.96% increase.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index jumped 1.5%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index added 0.4%.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release government data on building permits, housing starts and consumer price inflation.