GLOBAL MARKETS

Futures on major U.S. stock indices point to a lower opening Wednesday ahead of new home sales data for April and a European Union summit.

Market sentiment continued to be negative as a report quoting former Greek prime minister Lucas Papademos stated that Greece was considering preparations to leave the euro zone. Greece will hold fresh elections June 17.

Asian stock markets declined Wednesday as renewed concerns of Greece's probable exit from the euro zone dampened sentiment.

Futures on major U.S. stock indices point to a slightly lower opening Tuesday ahead of existing home sales data that are expected to show a rise in April sales.

Asian markets rose Tuesday as China promised to spur growth and France and Germany agreed to prevent Greece from exiting the euro zone.

Asian stock markets advanced for the second day Tuesday as China's commitment to stimulate growth in the world's second largest economy and signs of cooperation between German and French leaders buoyed sentiment.

The Indian rupee Monday touched a record low of 55 against the dollar because of the strong demand for dollar from importers, weak global cues and delay over policy reforms from the government.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading on Monday are: Ultra Clean Holdings, Seadrill, Yahoo, Frontline, ABB Ltd, Logitech International, United States Steel, Hewlett-Packard and ARM Holdings.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a slight rebound on Wall Street Monday after a string of losses last week amid worries Greece might leave the euro and an emerging debt crisis in Spain.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.85 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.49 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.79 percent at 0842 GMT.

Asian stock markets rebounded Monday after suffering heavy losses last week amid ongoing worries over the euro zone crisis.

World stock markets fell Friday, slammed by ratings cuts for Greece and five of its banks, which were announced ahead of a crucial Group of 8 summit this weekend. While Facebook's much-anticipated initial public offering provided a temporary distraction for traders, its first-day performance concluded with more of a whimper than a bang.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading on Friday are: ACADIA Pharmaceuticals, Osiris Therapeutics, Morgan Stanley, Salesforce.com, Banco Santander, First Solar, JPMorgan Chase, Aruba Networks, Tata Motors and Carnival Corp.

A highly popular tranche of municipal debt issues is likely to feel the sting of a multi-notch ratings downgrade soon, a Wells Fargo credit strategist warned. The downgrade would wreak havoc on the portfolio strategy of a substantial number of investors in tax-exempt debt, and would also likely have noisy political repercussions in Puerto Rico, the municipality whose bonds are in the crosshairs.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a slightly higher opening Friday ahead of the commencement of public trading of Facebook.

Asian stock markets slumped Friday as renewed concerns over euro zone crisis and lackluster economic data from US dented investor sentiment.

Asian stock markets tumbled on Friday, following an overnight slump on Wall Street as weaker-than-expected U.S. economic data and a deepening euro zone crisis dampened sentiment.

European stocks lost big Thursday as Greek banks were cut loose from European Central Bank support and Spain's borrowing costs kept skyrocketing. The head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, also warned today of the extremely expensive consequences of Greece leaving the currency bloc.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade Thursday are: Millennial Media, Herbalife, Ctrip.com International, Cameco Corp, J.C. Penney, Wal-Mart Stores, Wal-Mart Stores, Limited Brands and JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a flat opening on Thursday ahead of economic data including weekly jobless claims

Asian markets rose Thursday as the economic growth reported by Japan and possible additional monetary stimulus from Federal Reserve to spur growth of the US economy offset the increasing concern of Greece leaving the euro zone.

Asian stock markets advanced Thursday after the heavy sell-off in the previous session. Better-than-expected economic data from U.S and Japan offset ongoing uncertainty about Greece's political situation.

Asian shares steadied Thursday from the previous day's selloff, but investors found no reason to bet on risk amid deepening turmoil in Greece and fears of contagion to other stressed euro zone economies.

Greece continued to weigh heavily on confidence Wednesday as bank customers there began sending cash out of the country or hiding it under their beds -- this despite hints from German Chancellor Angela Merkel that a stimulus would be forthcoming if the country stuck to its austerity commitments.

Germany's benchmark 10-year bond yield approached Wednesday the record euro-era low it struck on Monday, as investors reduced risk exposure as Greece seemed to be edging closer to leaving the currency bloc. The yield fell to 1.44 percent, just over the 1.43 it struck just two days ago, before rebounding to 1.5 in afternoon trading.

Commodities prices fell Wednesday as investors, preparing for the fallout from an expected Greek exit from the euro zone, abandoned industrial and precious metals for the safety of German and U.S. government debt.

The United States foreign aid program that sends billions of dollars to African countries for HIV treatment and prevention has cut the number of people dying for any reason in those nations, a new study suggests.

The companies whose shares are moving in premarket trade Wednesday are: Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc., Citigroup Inc., Fossil Inc., Dendreon Corp., Zynga Inc., Titan Machinery Inc., Staples Inc., Vodafone Group PLC and Corning Inc.

Asian markets fell Wednesday as political parties in Greece failed to form a coalition government increasing concerns of the country exiting the euro zone.