2:13 AM
PARIS |
PARIS (Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a rebound on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.25 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.35 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.27 percent at 4.49 a.m EST.
U.S. crude futures continued to climb, reaching a 2-1/2-year peak above $96 a barrel on concern that unrest in oil-rich Libya could spread to other top oil producers in the region and cut more output.
A senior aide to Muammar Gaddafi's influential son Saif resigned on Wednesday, the latest top official to walk out after the Libyan leader vowed to crush a revolt that threatens his four-decade rule.
European stocks fell for a third consecutive session on Wednesday, down 0.3 percent in morning trade, with tech shares featuring among the top losers.
U.S. tech shares will be in the spotlight after Hewlett-Packard Co (HPQ.N) trimmed its 2011 revenue projections on weak consumer PC demand and a lackluster showing from its IT services arm, sending its shares plummeting 12 percent in after-hour trading. Shares of the company traded in Frankfurt (HPQ.N) were down 11 percent.
Nasdaq OMX Group Inc (NDAQ.O), left out of a global merger frenzy among exchanges, is exploring options that include teaming up with a partner on a rival bid for NYSE Euronext (NYX.PA) (NYX.N), a person familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.
The U.S. Air Force may announce as early as Thursday whether Boeing Co (BA.N) or Europe's EADS (EAD.PA) has won a projected $35 billion contract for 179 new refueling planes, a senior defense official said.
Car rental company Hertz Global Holdings Inc (HTZ.N) posted a better-than-expected fourth-quarter adjusted profit, helped by strong growth at its U.S. off-airport business.
The Federal Reserve's monetary policy should remain accommodative for some time yet, Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans was quoted on Wednesday as saying.
Wall Street suffered its worst day since August on Tuesday as investors dumped stocks on turmoil in oil exporter Libya, in what could be the start of a long-anticipated pullback after a lengthy rally.
The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI lost 178.46 points, or 1.44 percent, to end at 12,212.79. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX fell 27.57 points, or 2.05 percent, to 1,315.44. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC dropped 77.53 points, or 2.74 percent, to 2,756.42.
(Reporting by Blaise Robinson; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)
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