GLOBAL MARKETS

Future on U.S. stocks and other global risk assets declined on Tuesday on the back of weak Chinese economic data and lingering disappointment over the prospects of a strong Eurozone bailout.

U.S. stock futures point to lower opening on Tuesday after new data showed that Chinese economy has expanded at a slower rate in the third quarter and quarterly results from IBM failed to impress investors.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) said its third quarter earnings grew 21 percent on improving credit quality. Its earnings came in above Street's view.

World stocks stumbled from the previous day's 1-1/2 month high on Tuesday and government bonds rose as slower-than-expected Chinese growth data and a warning on France's triple-A sovereign credit rating prompted investors to cut risks.

European shares fell for a second straight day on Tuesday, with investors cutting their exposure to riskier assets after Moody's warned on France's rating outlook and Chinese data showed growth in the world's second biggest economy slowed.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Human Genome Sciences, Tangoe, Conceptus, FreightCar America and GTx. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: TranS1, Crocs, Gulfport Energy Corp, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Sequenom, Inc.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Monday were: BlackRock International, AMR Corp, SuccessFactors, Community Health Systems and A.H. Belo Corp. The top after-market NYSE losers were: STR Holdings, STR Holdings, AGL Resources, Vaalco Energy and GNC Holdings.

The gross domestic product of China has expanded 9.1 per cent in the third quarter from a year earlier, which is the slowest speed in more than two years for the world’s second-largest economy.

Asian stocks and commodities fell on Tuesday after Germany's finance minister cautioned against hopes for a quick fix to Europe's debt problem, and news that China's economic growth slowed a tad in the third quarter added to concerns.

Disappointment out of Europe over the weekend ended the recent rally of U.S. stocks and other global risk assets.

U.S. stocks and global risk assets plunged on Monday as German officials dashed the heightened expectations of investors.

Lowe’s chief executive officer Robert Niblock said the company has to make tough decisions to improve profitability.

Stock futures pointed to a higher open for equities on Wall Street on Monday after strong gains in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 up 0.7 to 0.9 percent.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Friday are: Enzo Biochem, Louisiana-Pacific, Halliburton, Superior Energy Services and Cambrex Corp. The top after-market NYSE losers are: Gannett Co, Genco Shipping & Trading, Renesola, Sprint Nextel and Jaguar Mining Inc.

European stock index futures rose 1 percent and the euro held near a 1-month high Monday after France and Germany said over the weekend they were making good progress on a plan to resolve the euro zone's debt crisis and recapitalize its banks.

Ford (F), which did not accept U.S. Government assistance, has rebounded after a restructuring, and is well-positioned to capitalize on U.S. job growth, when it returns with gusto. Is now a good time to consider Ford's shares?

Kinder Morgan Inc. announced on Sunday it is set to buy El Paso Corp. for $38 billion, along with cash, stock and debt to create a powerful North American energy company.

Will microprocessor giant Intel (INTC) benefit from a ripple-effect from the iPhone 4s Wave? Most likely that will be the case, as millions of new customers in this holiday shopping season and in 2012 beyond consider the iPhone 4s and other technology products/gadgets -- and that's good news for Intel's operation.

European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said the European Union's treaty should be changed to prevent one member state from destabilizing the rest of the bloc, while urging stronger Eurozone governance.

Bill Gross, manager of the world's largest bond fund, apologized to his investors late Friday for his poor performance, saying, I'm just having a bad year.

Saudi Arabia's central bank is not interested in buying distressed or speculative assets such as troubled European debt and gold, and the OPEC member's banks are well-positioned to withstand the Eurozone crisis.

Finance ministers and central bankers from the world's top economies are set to back mandatory capital surcharges on big lenders of as much as 2.5 percent to be phased in beginning in 2016.

With one-third of the Dow components and crowd favorite Apple reporting results next week, U.S. stocks are setting the stage for another week of gains.

The world's leading economies kept the pressure firmly on Europe to sort out its debt crisis on Saturday with the sense of urgency to be reflected in a communique at the end of a G-20 finance chiefs' meeting.

Ford (F), which did not accept U.S. Government assistance, has rebounded after a restructuring, and is well-positioned to capitalize on U.S. job growth, when it returns with gusto. Is now a good time to consider Ford's shares?

U.S. equities ended the week strong on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 1.45 percent, the S&P 500 climbing 1.74 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite rallying 1.82 percent.

From last Tuesday, U.S. stocks have jumped about 10 percent. This rally, however, may be as fragile as late baseball great Mickey Mantle, according to Keith McCullough of Hedgeye Risk Management.

Apple may sell as many as 4 million iPhone 4S units this weekend, and that bodes well for the company's shares, to say the least.

Friday's market is mostly driven by good news out of the U.S., namely solid September retail sales data and stellar earnings from tech giant Google. Some experts, however, are not convinced.