By Barbara Kollmeyer, MarketWatch
MADRID (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures traded flat early
Tuesday a day after the S&P 500 fell from record levels and as
investors watched for an update on monthly sales from McDonald's
Corp. as well as Apple Inc.'s product event.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (SPU4) were down 9
points to 17,091 and those for the S&P 500 index (SPU4) were
down 1.9 points to 1,998.70. Futures for the Nasdaq-100 index
(NDU4) fell 2.5 points to 4,090.50.
Two lower-tiered pieces of data are due for release: the
National Federation of Independent Business index for August at
7:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and job openings for July at 10 a.m.
Eastern. Neither is expected to move the needle on stocks. Also
read: Michael Sincere on why this stock market will never go
down
On Monday, the S&P 500(SPX) closed off 0.3% to 2,001,
pulling back from Friday's record close, while the Nasdaq Composite
(RIXF) rose 0.2%. Tech stocks may lead the action on Tuesday, given
the spotlight on Apple.
Stocks to watch: The iPhone maker (AAPL) will hold its product
event at 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. Eastern) near its headquarters in
Cupertino, Calif. The newest version of its flagship phone and an
iWatch wearable device are among key things that could help boost
shares of Apple. Read: Options traders may be too excited about
Apple's event
Other stocks in focus include McDonald's (MCD) , which will
release monthly sales ahead of the market's open.
Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) will also report early, with
expectations for the bookseller to report a 58-cent loss on sales
of $1.26 billion.
Shares of Annie's Inc.(BNNY) could add to a 37% late-session
gain after General Mills Inc. (GIS) offered to buy the organic
foods company for $820 million in cash.
Pep Boys -Manny Moe & Jack (PBY) shares could see pressure
after falling 7% in late trading Monday after on earnings
disappointment.
Other markets: Brent crude oil prices held steady under $100 a
barrel, while the dollar charted new highs against the yen (USDJPY)
and the euro (EURUSD). Europe stocks posted mild losses, while Asia
markets posted mostly modest gains overnight.
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