Jessi blog

Stock futures flat after selloff, Ireland still concern

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Monday after a steep selloff in the previous session, though financial stress in Ireland threatened to weigh on the market.

* Ireland didn't rule out the possibility it may have to turn to Europe for help in dealing with its debt crisis on Sunday but said no application had been made for assistance yet.

* Concerns over euro zone sovereign debt has pressured equities in recent weeks along with persistent concerns that China may raise interest rates.

* The dollar index (.DXY) rose 0.4 percent, hitting a six-week high, lifted by higher U.S. Treasury yields. Crude oil rose 0.8 percent, recovering from heavy selling on Friday.

* Economic indicators on tap later Monday include October retail sales, which are seen rising 0.4 percent, the same as in the previous month, along with September business inventory data and the November Empire State survey. Inventories are seen rising from the previous month, while the N.Y. survey is seen coming in at 14, down from last month's 15.73.

* The only S&P companies scheduled to report quarterly results are Nordstrom Inc (JWN.N) and Lowe's Cos Inc (LOW.N).

* S&P 500 futures rose 4 points and were slightly above fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures added 2 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures were up 11.5 points.

* BHP Billiton (BBL.N)(BLT.L) scrapped its $39 billion bid for Canada's Potash Corp (POT.N) on Sunday after regulators rejected the deal. U.S.-listed shares of Potash slid 3.6 percent to $134.82 in premarket trading.

* Also in deal news, ArcelorMittal SA (ISPA.AS)(MT.N) is interested in buying Massey Energy Co (MEE.N), the Wall Street Journal reported.

* The newspaper also reported that Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (4502.T) had explored whether it wanted to pursue a deal for Genzyme Corp (GENZ.O) but was unlikely to do so.

* Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker said Sunday he was opposed to the central bank's last round of monetary easing, believing the policy was potentially dangerous and likely ineffective.

* Wall Street ended a five-week winning streak on Friday as the threat of rising interest rates in China prompted investors to book profits and reassess bullish positions in equities.

(Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)