Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Stock futures dip on worries over Greece (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stock index futures fell on Monday, indicating the benchmark S&P 500 index could pull back after a five-week rally on concerns Greece will be unable to avoid a chaotic default as it tries to reach terms on a new bailout package.

Greece allowed another deadline to slip as political leaders failed to respond to terms for a new bailout from the European Union and Internation Monetary Fund. Greece needs the bailout money by March to meet big debt repayments.

The FTSEurofirst 300 (.FTEU3) index of top European shares slipped 0.3 percent. (.EU)

The S&P has rallied for five straight weeks on better-than-expected U.S. economic data, punctuated by Friday's solid employment report, pushing the index up 6.9 percent for the year.

"After a robust start to the year, investors are pausing to reassess the driving themes for the market," said Andre Bakhos, director of market analytics at Lek Securities in New York.

"Greece remains a thorn in their side, but investors are resigned to the fact a default has been factored in and the focus is now on damage control and keeping contagion in check."

S&P 500 futures fell 3.8 points and were below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures lost 33 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures shed 6.75 points.

Hasbro Inc (HAS.O) fell 5.5 percent to $33.89 in light premarket trade after the maker of Nerf foam toys and Monopoly board games reported a fourth-quarter profit just above analysts' lowered expectations.

Humana Inc (HUM.N) posted a big rise in fourth-quarter profit, helped by higher membership in its Medicare plans for the elderly. The health insurer also slightly lifted its full-year earnings forecast. Its shares fell 1 percent to $89.20 in light premarket trade.

Other companies expected to post earnings include Yum Brands Inc (YUM.N), Pioneer Natural Resources Co (PXD.N), Dun and Bradstreet Corp (DNB.N) and Anadarko Petroleum Corp (APC.N).

Through Friday, 283 companies in the S&P 500 had reported results, with 60 percent posting earnings that topped Wall Street expectations, a lower percentage than in recent quarters at this point of the reporting season.

Boeing Co (BA.N) has discovered a problem related to the aft fuselage of its 787 Dreamliner planes and is making repairs that will not affect production, the company said on Sunday.

NYSE Euronext (NYX.N) plans to focus on smaller deals and returning capital to shareholders after a merger with Deutsche Boerse failed, its chief executive said on Friday.

Rockwood Holdings Inc (ROC.N) plans to double its lithium production capacity.

Asian shares rose on the U.S. jobs data bolstered investors' risk appetite.

(Reporting By Chuck Mikolajczak; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120206/bs_nm/us_markets_stocks

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