US stocks head for higher open as oil declines
AP , New York: Jun 17 2008
Made Popular Jun 17 2008
us stocks P9V3k

U.S. stocks headed for a higher open Tuesday as oil prices declined and as investors awaited economic figures on the housing market and inflation at the wholesale level.

Wall Street is also expecting a report on industrial production.

But first up, an hour before the opening bell, investors will be looking for figures to show that the producer price index, which measures wholesale and raw material prices, rose in May. The Labor Department’s index will likely draw particular attention this month because investors are looking for signs of whether increased costs for a range of commodities, including oil, will force companies to pass along higher costs to customers.

The report follows government figures last week that show consumer prices rose slightly more than expected last month, partly because of spiking energy prices.

Wall Street is worried that rising energy costs, which affect almost all other costs, are going to prove too much for U.S. consumers who are already strapped by a somewhat uncertain economy and a weak housing market. Investors are worried that consumers will be forced to trim discretionary spending. Consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity so a pullback could harm the economy.

Investors also will be looking to quarterly results due from Goldman Sachs Groups Inc. Investors have credited the investment bank with largely sidestepping some of the problems with faulty credit that have forced other big names on Wall Street to seek capital injections to shore up balance sheets. But attention is focusing early Tuesday on a Financial Times report that Goldman is close to finalizing a plan to restructure a $7 billion investment known as a structured investment vehicle.

Still, the pullback in oil prices appeared to draw most investors’ attention.

Light, sweet crude fell $1.93 to $132.65 per barrel in premarket electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 51, or 0.42 percent, to 12,313. Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures advanced 6.60, or 0.49 percent, to 1,366.60, and the Nasdaq 100 index futures added 7.50, or 0.38 percent, to 1,997.8.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves opposite its price, fell to 4.20 percent from 4.27 percent late Monday. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices rose.

Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average fell 0.04 percent. In morning trading, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 1.53 percent, Germany’s DAX index was up 1.30 percent, and France’s CAC-40 rose 0.89 percent.

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On the Net:

New York Stock Exchange: http://www.nyse.com

Nasdaq Stock Market: http://www.nasdaq.com

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1 Stars
Taylor Flatt multiplayernetwork.n..
Petersburg, United States
”Light, sweet crude fell $1.93 to $132.65 per barrel in premarket electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.”

Finally some improvement yes? If oil declines, then just about everything else will.
1 Stars
Mike
Malabar, United States
COnstantly I am reminded that the market seems so skewed as compared to reality. We are seriously in a recession (certainly here in FL) and prices of most everything have gone through the proverbial roof. People are losing their homes and their jobs daily in a manner not seen many times in our history.

YET the market is so high and virtually eludes comprehension. As a financial and tax professional I recall so well the Enron debacle and how numbers are so easily manipulated through adjustments, deferrals, etc.

I also very clearly recall the dot.com bubble burst of 2000-2001 and the aftermath of Enron. I feel these ridiculous numbers are well overstated and that another bubble is around the corner. It just appear to make any sense that the markets are this high and with no TRUE positive news (long term) on the horizon.
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