US stock futures follow European markets lower

For the first time in three years, US Quarterly Earnings are Poised to Drop. Third-quarter earnings of Standard & Poor's 500 companies are now expected to fall 0.1 percent from a year ago, a sharp revision from the July 1 forecast of 3.1 percent growth, Thomson Reuters data showed on Thursday. That would be the first decline in earnings since the third quarter of 2009, the data showed.

Gary Townsend submits:This morning. Equity futures are lower this morning, with attribution - though there was little incremental - to Fed Chairman Bernanke’s 60 Minutes interview last evening. After fair value adjustment, December SPX futures are down -6.24 points at 1217.70, near the worst levels of the morning.

optionMONSTER submits: By Bryan McCormick US stock index futures are lower this morning after Asian markets fell markets sharply. European shares followed that trend lower, which helped pull US futures into negative territory. At current levels, the indexes have fallen to well-established support levels at the lows of the recent trading range. Those are 1760 for the Nasdaq 100, 1040 for the S&P 500 and 585 for the Russell 2000.

U.S. stock futures are signaling a lower opening on Wall Street following modest losses overseas. Markets in Asia are lower and all the major European indexes are down in late morning trading.

Submitted by Michael Snyder of The Economic Collapse blog, There are a dozen significant economic indicators that are warning that the U.S. economy is heading into a recession.  The Dow may have soared past the 15,000 mark, but the economic fundamentals are telling an entirely different story.  If historical patterns hold up, the economy is heading for a very rocky stretch. 

Suncor Energy Inc. has the greatest potential for an upside surprise among its peers when the energy sector reports first quarter earnings in the coming weeks. That forecast, from Barclays analyst Paul Cheng, calls for Suncor to earn 87¢ per share, versus a consensus expectation of 67¢.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares rose Wednesday as Japan's benchmark surged to its highest level since Sept. 2008 though wariness over corporate earnings pulled European indexes lower in early trading.