Futures fall as focus returns to Spain
Evan McDaniel | evan.mcdaniel@optionmonster.com
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Despite the projected victory of the pro-bailout party in Greece's elections, U.S. equity index futures are lower this morning as traders focus turned on a surge in Spanish debt costs.
S&P 500 futures are down 0.22 percent to 1334.50, with support remaining at 1330 as of this writing. The Nasdaq 100 futures are slightly higher by 0.02 percent to 2564.50 after trading over 2580 last night.
European indexes are mixed after initially rallying strongly on the Greek election results. The German DAX leads the region with a gain of 0.57 percent, while the U.K. FTSE 100 is up 0.43 percent.
Asian markets maintained most of their gains, with Japan's Nikkei leading with a 1.77 percent advance. Hong Kong's Hang Seng closed higher by 1.01 percent, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.4 percent.
Because of the Spanish debt worries, the greenback is higher against the euro this morning. The euro/dollar is lower by 0.0007 points, or 0.06 percent, to 1.264 after trading well over the 1.27 level last night. If this currency trend continues into the open, investors will likely see continued weakness in the equity and commodity markets.
Oil prices have declined 0.94 percent to 83.53 from overnight highs above 85.50. Copper prices have dropped sharply as well after trading as high as 3.4775 last night, now down 0.07 percent at 3.381. Spot gold futures are down 0.25 percent to 1624.30, well off their low of 1606.9.
Shares of U.S. banks are lower in response to rising Spanish bond yields. JP Morgan shares are back below the $35 in pre-market trading.
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