BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Initial signs from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open lower. Asian shares finished mixed, while European shares are trading higher.
As of 8.10 am ET, the Dow futures were up 30.00 points, the S&P 500 futures were gaining 2.50 points and the Nasdaq 100 futures were down 14.25 points.
On the economic front, the Quarterly Service Report for the second quarter will be issued at 10.00 am ET. In the prior quarter, the information revenue was down 6.2 percent.
The Energy Information Administration or EIA's Petroleum Status report for the week will be revealed at 10.30 am ET. In the prior week, the Crude oil inventories were down 4.5 million barrels, while Gasoline inventories were down 0.7 million barrels. 20-year Treasury Bond auction will be held at 1.00 pm ET.
Johnson & Johnson is planning to acquire Momenta Pharma in an all-cash transaction for about $6.5 billion.
Asian stocks ended mixed on Wednesday as coronavirus worries persisted and investors kept a wary eye on the release later today of the minutes from the July FOMC meeting.
Chinese shares ended lower after three straight sessions of gains. The benchmark Shanghai Composite index dropped 42.96 points, or 1.24 percent, to 3,408.13. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index ended down 0.74 percent at 25,178.91.
Japanese shares inched higher. The Nikkei average edged up 59.53 points, or 0.26 percent, to 23,110.61, after two days of losses. The broader Topix index closed 0.18 percent higher at 1,613.73.
Australian markets advanced on the day. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index gained 44.20 points, or 0.72 percent, to finish at 6,167.60, while the broader All Ordinaries index ended up 45.40 points, or 0.72 percent, at 6,314.10.
The Federal Open Market Committee minutes will be released at 2.00 pm ET.
Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Loretta Mester will speak at a Liberal Arts Macroeconomics Conference webinar on the economic outlook at European shares are trading higher. Among the major indexes in the region, the CAC 40 Index of France is adding 10.97 points or 0.22 percent. The German DAX is gaining 45.93 points or 0.36 percent, the U.K. FTSE 100 Index is progressing 21.18 points or 0.35 percent.
The Swiss Market Index is 86.74 points or 0.85 percent.
The Euro Stoxx 50 Index, which is a compilation of 50 blue chip stocks across the euro area, is up 0.34 percent.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX