Bounce up in currency could impact U.S. markets; HP results due after the close.
Signs that the dollar may be coming out of its recent slide could be a factor in determining if U.S. stock markets do the same Wednesday.
At 7:40 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a slightly higher start for the major indexes.
The dollar rallied early Wednesday, topping ¥109 briefly and coming off the record low of $1.1959 against the euro. The currency was crippled Tuesday, helping to send Wall Street lower, after the U.S. government announced new import quotas on Chinese textiles as trade problems between the two nations grow.
U.S. stock markets will brace Wednesday for Hewlett-Packard's quarterly results, due after the close.
HP (HPQ: Research, Estimates), the maker of computers and associated products, is expected to post fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of 35 cents a share, up from 24 cents a share a year earlier, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by . The results of the Dow component will be carefully scrutinized, particularly after CEO Carly Fiorina promised investors in August that the company's PC and server businesses would turn a profit following an operating loss.
Among U.S. stocks trading in Europe, HP was 1 percent lower in early trading.
The day's only major economic report, due before the market open, is the government's reading of housing starts in October. They're seen falling to about 2 percent to an annual rate of 1.85 million, according to a consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com.
The Dow Jones industrial average is coming off a 0.9 percent decline Tuesday. The Nasdaq composite index also tumbled 0.9 percent (see chart for details). Stocks overall, and the tech-laden Nasdaq in particular, have declined in seven of the past eight sessions.
Asian-Pacific stocks suffered from the weakness in the dollar, seen as a problem for the region's exporting companies; Tokyo's Nikkei index suffered a 2.9 percent slide. European markets were decidedly lower. (Check the latest on world markets)
Treasury prices were little changed, with the 10-year note yield holding at 4.14 percent.
Brent oil futures retreated 25 cents to $30.22 a barrel in London.
Signs that the dollar may be coming out of its recent slide could be a factor in determining if U.S. stock markets do the same Wednesday.
At 7:40 a.m. ET, futures pointed to a slightly higher start for the major indexes.
The dollar rallied early Wednesday, topping ¥109 briefly and coming off the record low of $1.1959 against the euro. The currency was crippled Tuesday, helping to send Wall Street lower, after the U.S. government announced new import quotas on Chinese textiles as trade problems between the two nations grow.
U.S. stock markets will brace Wednesday for Hewlett-Packard's quarterly results, due after the close.
HP (HPQ: Research, Estimates), the maker of computers and associated products, is expected to post fiscal fourth-quarter earnings of 35 cents a share, up from 24 cents a share a year earlier, according to a consensus of analysts surveyed by . The results of the Dow component will be carefully scrutinized, particularly after CEO Carly Fiorina promised investors in August that the company's PC and server businesses would turn a profit following an operating loss.
Among U.S. stocks trading in Europe, HP was 1 percent lower in early trading.
The day's only major economic report, due before the market open, is the government's reading of housing starts in October. They're seen falling to about 2 percent to an annual rate of 1.85 million, according to a consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com.
The Dow Jones industrial average is coming off a 0.9 percent decline Tuesday. The Nasdaq composite index also tumbled 0.9 percent (see chart for details). Stocks overall, and the tech-laden Nasdaq in particular, have declined in seven of the past eight sessions.
Asian-Pacific stocks suffered from the weakness in the dollar, seen as a problem for the region's exporting companies; Tokyo's Nikkei index suffered a 2.9 percent slide. European markets were decidedly lower. (Check the latest on world markets)
Treasury prices were little changed, with the 10-year note yield holding at 4.14 percent.
Brent oil futures retreated 25 cents to $30.22 a barrel in London.
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