The shutdown of U.S. government is really worrying the investors and is directly reflected in the Futures trading. The investors are closely watching the political developments in Europe and other parts of the world. The early signs are pointing to a lower start for Wall Street on Monday.
Asian shares closed mostly higher, while European shares are trading mixed. There are no major economic announcements for the day, but several corporates are to report results in this week.
As of 6.30 am ET, the Dow futures were slipping 51 points, the S&P 500 futures were shedding 2.75 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were loosing 3.75 points.
U.S. stocks closed closed higher on Friday. The Dow rose 53.91 points or 0.2 percent to 26,071.72, the Nasdaq advanced 40.33 points or 0.6 percent to 7,336.38 and the S&P 500 climbed 12.27 points or 0.4 percent to 2,810.30.
On the economic front, Chicago Fed National Activity Index for December will be issued at 8.30 am ET. The economic analysts are looking for consensus of 0.25, compared to 0.15 in the prior week.
In the corporate sector, Sanofi SA announced an agreement to buy US-based hemophilia drugmaker Bioverativ Inc. for around $11.6 billion. The deal expands Sanofi's presence in specialty care and strengthens leadership in rare diseases.
Asian stocks finished mostly higher on Monday. China's Shanghai Composite index rose 13.50 points or 0.39 percent to finish at 3,501.36, its highest level since early 2016, helped by gains in defensive and technology stocks. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index closed up 138.52 points or 0.43 percent at 32,393.41.
Japanese stocks closed little changed. The Nikkei average and the broader Topix index closed marginally higher at 23,816.33 and 1,891.92, respectively.
Australian shares finished modestly lower, dragged down by financials and property developers. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 13.90 points or 0.23 percent to 5,991.90, while the broader All Ordinaries index ended down 13.10 points or 0.21 percent at 6,106.20.
European shares are trading mixed. Among the major indexes in the region, the CAC 40 Index of France is down 1.60 points or 0.03 percent, the German DAX is gaining 2.33 points or 0.02 percent, the U.K. FTSE 100 Index is adding 3.93 points or 0.05 percent and the Swiss Market Index is declining 8.56 points or 0.09 percent.
The Euro Stoxx 50 Index, which is a compilation of 50 blue chip stocks across the euro area, is up 0.10 percent.
by RTT Staff Writer
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com