💎 Fed’s first rate cut since 2020 set to trigger market. Find undervalued gems with Fair ValueSee Undervalued Stocks

US STOCKS-Wall St set for lower open on Portugal vote, BofA

Published 03/23/2011, 09:25 AM
Updated 03/23/2011, 09:29 AM

* Fed tells Bank of America to rein in dividend plan

* Portugal set to vote on austerity measures

* U.S. February new home sales data on tap

* Futures off: S&P 2.5 pts, Dow 22 pts, Nasdaq off 6.75 pts (Rewrites lead, updates prices)

By Angela Moon

NEW YORK, March 23 (Reuters) - Wall Street was poised for a lower open on Wednesday as concerns over debt issues in the euro zone, Japan's nuclear crisis and violence in the Middle East and North Africa persisted.

Wariness before a Portuguese vote on austerity measures and the Federal Reserve's rejection of a plan by Bank of America Corp to increase its dividend will keep financial stocks in focus.

Portugal's parliament was expected to reject government austerity measures in a vote scheduled for 1500 GMT, with Prime Minister Jose Socrates threatening to resign if the opposition rejected the proposals.

"The opposition wants to vote no, and if the budget deal fails, the Socrates government will fall, and hat in hand the country will go to the EU/IMF," said Peter Boockvar, equity strategist at Miller Tabak & Co in New York.

S&P 500 futures were down 2.5 points, and below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 22 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 6.75 points.

The Fed objected to Bank of America's plans to boost dividends in the second half of 2011 and told the bank to revise its proposal. The stock fell 1.8 percent to $13.64 in premarket trading.

General Mills Inc, the maker of Cheerios cereal and Progresso soup, reported a higher quarterly profit, warned that it expects to pay more for items like grains, meat and fuel next year. The stock was down 1.9 percent at $36.22 in premarket trade.

Adobe Systems Inc posted first-quarter profit above Wall Street estimates late on Tuesday, but the world's biggest maker of design software cut its second-quarter revenue outlook by $50 million, citing an uncertain business environment in Japan following the earthquake. The stock fell 1.2 percent to 432.50 in premarket trade.

The Egyptian stock exchange's broad index tumbled 8.7 percent on Wednesday after the bourse reopened following a seven-week closure caused by political turmoil. In the U.S., Market Vectors Egypt Index ETF fell 4.5 percent to $15.90 in premarket trade.

U.S.-listed Japanese stocks will also be in focus as further disruptions to supply chains were seen hitting individual companies in the wake of Japan's massive earthquake, with Sony Corp cutting output at five more plants and Toyota Motor saying it would keep assembly lines shut until at least Saturday.

Ford Motor Co, however, said it had saw no immediate impact or disruption from the earthquake.

Japan estimated direct damage from the earthquake and tsunami to be 16-25 trillion yen ($185-$308 billion), making it the world's costliest natural disaster.

U.S. new home sales data for February is due at 10 a.m. Economists in a Reuters survey expect new sales have likely risen to a 290,000 annual rate from January's 284,000. (Editing by Padraic Cassidy)

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.