1:43 AM
Stock index futures mixed; all eyes on Apple
Addison Ray
NEW YORK | Tue Jan 18, 2011 4:13am EST
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.02 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.11 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.7 percent at 1:45 a.m. EST.
* Apple shares will be in the spotlight after the company said Chief Executive Steve Jobs was taking medical leave for the third time since 2004, reviving fears over the long-term future of the iPhone- and iPad-maker and sending the company's stock traded in Frankfurt tumbling more than 8 percent.
* On the earnings front, investors were bracing for results from a number of companies including Apple, Citigroup (C.N) and IBM (IBM.N).
* Goldman Sachs (GS.N) said it will limit its private placement of shares of social networking site Facebook to investors outside the United States, citing "intense media coverage."
* Brewing giant SABMiller (SAB.L) beat forecasts with a 3 percent rise in beer volumes in the last three months boosted by growth in Africa and Asia offsetting a fall in Colombia, hit by the heaviest rain for 50 years.
* European planemaker Airbus (EAD.PA) celebrated a surprise win in the annual orders race against Boeing (BA.N) with the 10,000th plane sale in its 40-year history, part of a $5 billion order from Virgin America. Separately, Boeing Co (BA.N) resumed certification tests of its 787 Dreamliner on Monday for the first time since an in-flight electrical fire in November knocked those trials off schedule.
* GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) will record a legal charge of $3.4 billion for the fourth quarter, effectively wiping out its profit, as it settles further claims related to Avandia and sales practices.
* South African retailer Massmart's (MSMJ.J) shareholders have accepted a takeover by U.S. group Wal-Mart (WMT.N), setting up the world's largest retailer for a potential battle with local unions.
* European stocks were up 0.7 percent in morning trade, led by mining shares after Rio Tinto's (RIO.L) output figures pleased investors and as metal prices climbed.
* The S&P 500 ended a seventh straight week of gains with a banks-led rally amid healthy volume after encouraging financial results from JPMorgan.
* The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI added 55.48 points, or 0.47 percent, to 11,787.38. The Standard & Poor's 500 .SPX rose 9.48 points, or 0.74 percent, to 1,293.24. The Nasdaq Composite .IXIC gained 20.01 points, or 0.73 percent, to 2,755.30.
(Reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)
Posts
