Anything For You All: 10 Things You Need To Know Before The Opening Bell, April 24, 2012

Selasa, 24 April 2012

10 Things You Need To Know Before The Opening Bell, April 24, 2012

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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Good morning. Here's what you need to know.

Overnight trading in Asia was mostly mixed, with Hong Kong's Hang Seng gaining 0.3 percent. Indexes in Europe are substantially higher and U.S. futures point to a positive open.
Spain sold €1.9 billion in short-term debt, at the high end of government targets. Borrowing costs shot higher, with yields on the six-month bill at 1.580 percent. A month ago that same note sold at 0.836 percent.
French consumer confidence improved marginally in April, gaining one point to 88. That remains below the key long-term average of 100. Households were optimistic about their financial situation, but put off long-term purchases. Here are 14 awful facts about the French economy >
Nokia's long-term debt was cut to junk status by Fitch Ratings. The Finnish company now stands at BB+ with a negative outlook. Fitch said it could reduce Nokia's rating further if revenue and net income do not turn around.
Facebook announced yesterday that revenue during the first quarter increased 45 percent to $1.06 billion. Net income, however, was challenged — down to $205 million from $233 million one year ago, mainly on higher marketing and sales costs. Here's the scariest thing for investors considering buying into the Facebook IPO >
Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to purchase Cove Energy for $1.8 billion, to gain entry into energy fields off the coast of Mozambique. The offer was about 13 percent higher than earlier announced, to match a rival offer.
The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Walmart, following reports of bribery in the company's Mexican division. Here's how the violation could cost Walmart $13 billion >
Case-Shiller is out at 9:00 a.m. Expectations are for home prices in the closely watched 20-city metro areas to increase 0.2 percent month-on-month in February, reversing a 0.4 percent decline a month earlier. This is the single worst housing market in the U.S.
Consumer confidence and new home sales follow at 10:00 a.m. Wall Street anticipates confidence will fall slightly, to 69.6 in April from 70.2 a month earlier. New home sales are expected to gain 1.6 percent to 318,000. Follow both live on Money Game >
Major earnings announcements are expected out of AT&T, 3M and Apple today. Already, AT&T and 3M have beat expectations, earning $0.60 and $1.63 per share, respectively. Expectations for Apple are at $9.95. Here's what the nation's largest companies are telling us about the economy >