Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a mixed open in subdued trade on Monday, although investors remained cautious amid growing speculation the Federal Reserve could begin tapering its asset purchases before the year end.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.08% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.04% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.04% dip.
Data on Friday showed that the U.S. economy added 204,000 jobs in October, significantly higher than the 125,000 expected by economists. The unemployment rate ticked up to 7.3% from an almost five year low of 7.2% the previous month.
The upbeat data indicated that the U.S. economy shrugged off the impact of the government shutdown and added to expectations that the Fed may start winding down its USD85 billion-a-month asset purchase program as soon as next month.
Investors were also eyeing the testimony of Fed Vice Chair Janet Yellen on Thursday during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee.
Tech stocks were expected to be active, amid reports Apple is developing new iPhone designs including bigger screens with curved glass and enhanced sensors that can detect different levels of pressure. Shares in the iPhone maker were still down 0.11% in pre-market trade.
In the pharmaceutical sector, Shire Plc agreed to buy ViroPharma for about USD4.2 billion to gain treatments for rare diseases and lessen dependence on its Vyvanse pill for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The news sent shares in ViroPharma up 0.30% in early trading.
Elsewhere, Twitter was also slated to remain in the spotlight after the company's trading debut last Thursday sent the stock up over 70%. Shares tumbled 1.85% pre-market.
Other companies likely to be in focus included News Corp and Hologic, scheduled to report quarterly results later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.27%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.28%, Germany's DAX edged up 0.11%, while Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.31%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rallied 1.43%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index jumped 1.30%.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.08% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.04% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.04% dip.
Data on Friday showed that the U.S. economy added 204,000 jobs in October, significantly higher than the 125,000 expected by economists. The unemployment rate ticked up to 7.3% from an almost five year low of 7.2% the previous month.
The upbeat data indicated that the U.S. economy shrugged off the impact of the government shutdown and added to expectations that the Fed may start winding down its USD85 billion-a-month asset purchase program as soon as next month.
Investors were also eyeing the testimony of Fed Vice Chair Janet Yellen on Thursday during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking Committee.
Tech stocks were expected to be active, amid reports Apple is developing new iPhone designs including bigger screens with curved glass and enhanced sensors that can detect different levels of pressure. Shares in the iPhone maker were still down 0.11% in pre-market trade.
In the pharmaceutical sector, Shire Plc agreed to buy ViroPharma for about USD4.2 billion to gain treatments for rare diseases and lessen dependence on its Vyvanse pill for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
The news sent shares in ViroPharma up 0.30% in early trading.
Elsewhere, Twitter was also slated to remain in the spotlight after the company's trading debut last Thursday sent the stock up over 70%. Shares tumbled 1.85% pre-market.
Other companies likely to be in focus included News Corp and Hologic, scheduled to report quarterly results later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were higher. The EURO STOXX 50 rose 0.27%, France’s CAC 40 added 0.28%, Germany's DAX edged up 0.11%, while Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.31%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rallied 1.43%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index jumped 1.30%.