Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a steady open on Wednesday, as markets were jittery ahead of Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's testimony scheduled later in the day, while ongoing tensions in Ukraine continued to weigh.
Ahead of the open, the Dow 30 futures pointed to a 0.04% dip, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.03% downtick, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.17% loss.
Investors remained cautious amid concerns that Fed chief Janet Yellen would reiterate that the bank intends to keep rates on hold for longer, in spite of last month’s stronger-than-forecast U.S. nonfarm payrolls report.
Markets were also jittery as violence flared overnight in the eastern Ukrainian port of Mariupol, where one person was killed and three wounded in an attack on a checkpoint.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he would meet ministers in Europe next week to discuss the next steps to take on the Ukrainian crisis.
The financial sector was expected to be in focus, following reports Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) completed fundraising for its second real estate credit pool at $4.2 billion. The bank shifted its real estate focus to lending from buying properties after the financial crisis.
In earnings news, late Tuesday Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) reported second-quarter net income of $1.92 billion, or $1.08 a share, exceeding analysts’ estimates. The company also said that sales grew to $11.6 billion, beating projections of $11.2 billion.
The news sent shares in the company up 0.56% in after-hour trade.
Meanwhile, Caesars Entertainment (NASDAQ:CZR) soared 7.76% in extended trade after saying that it is selling a minority interest in its largest unit. The decision is set to remove guarantees by the casino company on much of its $23 billion of debt and to set the stage for a wider restructuring.
The health sector was also set to be in the spotlight, after Bayer (XETRA:BAYGN) on Tuesday agreed to pay $14.2 billion for a number of Merck & Company (NYSE:MRK)'s over-the-counter products. Merck shares were up 0.16% in late trading.
Other stocks likely to be in focus included Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA), Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK), Allergan (NYSE:AGN), Hertz Global (NYSE:HTZ) and AOL (NYSE:AOL), scheduled to report quarterly results later in the day.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were steady to lower. The DJ Euro Stoxx 50 slipped 0.11%, France’s CAC 40 dipped 0.03%, Germany's DAX inched 0.05% lower, while Britain's FTSE 100 slid 0.36%.
During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng tumbled 1.05%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 plunged 2.93%.
Later in the day, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen was to testify before the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, in Washington.