Los futures se hundian el Lunes, presionados por el creciente temor acerca del potencial contagio de la crisis de la deuda en la zona euro a naciones como Italy i Espania.
La inflacion en China (6.4%) y la debilidad en la creacion de empleos en US ha afectado el apetito por el riesgo (acciones y commodities) en los inversionistas.
Futures Slump on Euro Debt Fears
By POLYA LESOVA
U.S. stock futures slumped Monday, pressured by growing fears about the potential spread of the euro-zone debt crisis to nations such as Italy and Spain.
Traders at the New York Stock Exchange.
.Chinese inflation data and a much weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs report further undermined investors' appetite for assets perceived as risky, such as stocks and commodities.
About three hours before the start of trade, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 83 points to 12,532 and those of the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index fell 11.70 points to 1,330.10. Nasdaq 100 futures declined 22 points to 2,386.50. Changes in futures don't always accurately predict early market moves after the opening bell.
The negative sentiment "has to do with concerns over the euro zone still," said Mike Lenhoff, chief strategist at Brewin Dolphin in London. "This idea of a default is now something that is admissible as part of a bailout or at least that is what the discussion seems to be about."
The Financial Times, citing unnamed sources, reported late Sunday that European leaders have changed their position and are now willing to accept some form of Greek debt default as part of a new bailout for the debt-strapped nation.
Meanwhile, leading European Union officials—including European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet and Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker—are meeting on Monday to discuss more aid for Greece ahead of a regularly scheduled euro-group gathering in Brussels. The meetings come as peripheral European bond yields rose sharply on fears the crisis may spread to other nations with high debt levels such as Italy and Spain.
Worries about the euro zone led traders to seek the perceived safety of the U.S. dollar, with the dollar index, which tracks the greenback's performance against a basket of other major currencies, rising 0.8% to 75.683. The euro sank 0.6% to $1.4121.
European equity markets also came under selling pressure, with the Stoxx 600 index down 0.7%. Losses in the periphery were sharper, with Italy's FTSE MIB index down 1.3% and Portugal's PSI 20 down 2.3%.
The blue-chip Dow index dropped 0.5% on Friday after a disappointing data on nonfarm payrolls.
No major U.S. economic data are scheduled for release Monday. Dow component Alcoa Inc. will kick off the U.S. second-quarter earnings reporting season after the closing bell Monday. Analysts polled by FactSet Research expect the aluminum group to report second-quarter earnings of 34 cents a share and revenue of $6.28 billion.
In deal news, Lonza Group Ltd. said Monday it has agreed to acquire Arch Chemicals for $47.20 a share in cash, putting the enterprise value of the deal at $1.4 billion. Shares of Arch Chemicals rallied more than 10% in thin premarket trading.
In Asia, most markets finished lower, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average down 0.7%. Traders also digested weekend data showing that China's consumer prices rose 6.4% in June amid a surge in food prices. Many economics expected a rise of between 6.2% and 6.4%.
Write to Polya Lesova at
polya.lesova@dowjones.com