Stock futures signal dip; Nike eyed
(Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.2 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.07 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.12 percent.
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(Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.2 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.07 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.12 percent.
Nike Inc <NKE.N> will be in focus after the company posted a return to sales and profit growth late on Wednesday and forecast higher expected orders around the world after a year of declines, sending its shares up more than 3 percent in extended trading. Nike shares traded in Frankfurt <NKE.F> were up 5.3 percent.
Apparel brand Guess Inc's <GES.N> fourth-quarter results topped estimates, as fewer discounts helped margins during the holiday quarter, and demand in Europe rose.
Google Inc <GOOG.O> is working with Intel Corp <INTC.O> and Sony Corp <6758.T> to develop a new class of Internet-enabled televisions and set top boxes, according to a media report.
Google's Nexus One smartphone will soon be available to subscribers of Sprint Nextel Corp <S.N>, the second U.S. wireless service provider to announce an agreement to support the touchscreen phone.
A consortium led by Blackstone Group <BX.N> has agreed to invest about $600 million in a Chinese agricultural company ahead of its planned Hong Kong listing, sources with knowledge of the deal said on Wednesday.
Japanese tax authorities have accused IBM's <IBM.N> Japan unit of failing to report more than $4.4 billion in income, and the unit may be asked to pay more than $300 million in back and additional taxes, the Asahi newspaper said.
Japan's Nikkei average fell 1 percent on Thursday, off a two-month high hit the previous day, while European stocks inched lower in morning trade, retreating from a 17-month closing high reached in the previous session, as renewed concerns over Greece's debt woes rattled investors.
Stocks gained on Wednesday, pushing the Dow to a 17-month high, after a benign February inflation reading supported the Federal Reserve's renewed pledge of low interest rates.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> gained 47.69 points, or 0.45 percent, to end at 10,733.67. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> rose 6.75 points, or 0.58 percent, to 1,166.21. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> advanced 11.08 points, or 0.47 percent, to 2,389.09.
(Reporting by Blaise Robinson, editing by Will Waterman)
