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UNDATED (AP) — Asian stock markets were rattled today by a slump in Chinese manufacturing to a 15-year low and cautious earnings outlooks from U.S. companies. European benchmarks rose as talks began in Athens for Greece's bailout.
Futures pointed to gains on Wall Street after three days of losses. Dow futures were up 0.2 percent. S&P 500 futures gained 0.2 percent.
Yesterday, the Dow slid 119.12 points, or 0.7 percent, to 17,731.92. The average is now down 0.5 percent for the year. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 12 points, or 0.6 percent, to 2,102.15. Utilities and materials stocks fell the most among the 10 industry groups on the index. The Nasdaq composite declined 25.36 points, or 0.5 percent, to 5,146.41.
WASHINGTON (AP) — There's only one major government economic report due out today. The Commerce Department will reveal how many new homes were sold in June. And, of course, there are more corporate earnings reports. American Airlines Group will report quarterly financial results before the market opens, as will AbbVie Inc.
NEW YORK (AP) — Investors will be watching to see if Amazon's stock hangs onto its aftermarket jump. The stock popped 17 percent after the company reported a surprise second-quarter profit. If it holds, the online retailer's market value could surpass that of its longtime rival, Wal-Mart, signaling a sea-change in the U.S. retail landscape.
NEW YORK (AP) — Anthem is buying rival Cigna in a deal valued at $54.2 billion that will create the nation's largest health insurer by enrollment, covering about 53 million patients in the U.S. The deal comes just three weeks after the insurer Aetna bid $35 billion for Humana in a buyout frenzy that will transform five massive U.S. health companies into three even larger ones.
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese media are reporting that automaker Mitsubishi Motors has decided to end production in the U.S. to focus on Asian markets. But the company says that no decision has been made for their Normal, Illinois, plant. The company sold only 82,000 vehicles in the United States last year, less than 1 percent of the total market.
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