U.S. futures steady, markets focus on U.S. elections; Dow Jones up 0.08%

Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a steady open on Monday, as investors remained cautious ahead of the upcoming U.S. Presidential election and amid sustained euro zone debt concerns.

Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.08% rise, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.03% gain, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.12% increase.

Markets were jittery amid uncertainty over the outcome of Tuesday’s U.S. presidential elections, with opinion polls indicating a dead heat between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

Meanwhile, concerns over Spain's financial woes re-emerged after the country's Employment Ministry said the number of unemployed people rose by a seasonally adjusted 128,200 in October, above expectations for an increase of 90,500.

The number of unemployed people in Spain rose by an unrevised 79,600 in September.

The financial sector was expected to be active, amid reports International Lease Finance Corp, the aircraft leasing arm of American International Group, shrugged off threats from a growing number of domestic players in China, its biggest single market, saying it has the "first mover" advantage with more than 200 planes on order.

Separately, Goldman Sachs said it cut the number of employees it lists as partners to help streamline expenses.

Elsewhere, drilling contractor Transocean saw shares jump 1.82% in pre-market trade, after it reported a higher-than-expected adjusted profit for the third quarter as it made more efficient use of the world's largest offshore oil drilling fleet.

Comcast and Amgen were also likely to be in focus, as they were reportedly preparing to ask the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to further limit class actions following a decision last year in the landmark Wal-Mart Stores discrimination case that restricted such group litigation.

Other stocks in focus included health insurer Humana and exchange operator IntercontinentalExchange, due to report earnings later in the day.

Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were lower. The EURO STOXX 50 dropped 0.87%, France’s CAC 40 declined 0.85%, Germany's DAX slid 0.50%, while Britain's FTSE 100 retreated 0.55%.

During the Asian trading session, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 0.47%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index slumped 0.48%.

Later in the day, the Institute of Supply Management was to publish data on U.S.service sector activity.