Stock Futures Down on Eurozone Worries
Stock index futures edged lower on Monday after the S&P 500 posted its third straight week of gains as investors had doubts European policymakers would come up with an agreement to fix the region's debt crisis.
* The S&P index futures dipped as the euro fell to a session low versus the dollar. European stocks also turned negative, erasing gains on optimism that regional policymakers were closer to a deal. They meet again in Wednesday.
* The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago releases its National Activity Index for September at 8:30 a.m. EDT. The index read -0.43 in August, indicating below-historical trend growth.
* S&P 500 futures fell 1.3 points and were slightly below fair value, a formula that evaluates pricing by taking into account interest rates, dividends and time to expiration on the contract. Dow Jones industrial average futures rose 2 points, while Nasdaq 100 futures rose 3.75 points.
* Texas Instruments Inc will report third-quarter earnings later in the day. Investors want to see if there was any improvement in demand for its chips, used in everything from cars to cellphones, ahead of the holiday shopping season. Analysts expect a profit of about 57 cents per share, versus 71 cents a year ago.
* Diversified manufacturer Eaton Corp and apparel maker VF Corp reported results early Monday.
* Other companies due to report include Caterpillar Inc , Kimberly Clark Corp , Amgen Inc , and Zions Bancorp .
* President Barack Obama will announce a series of actions this week to help the economy that will not require congressional approval, including a plan to make it easier for homeowners to refinance their mortgages, according to a White House official.
* U.S. companies do not plan to significantly increase payrolls over the next six months but neither will they aggressively fire workers, according to a survey suggesting lackluster job growth.
* Resource-related shares will be in focus, with key base metals prices jumping after data showed China's vast manufacturing sector picked up moderately in October, snapping a three-month contraction.
* Google Inc has spoken to at least two private equity firms about help in financing a deal to buy Yahoo Inc's core business, the Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend, citing a source.
* Netflix Inc said it will launch a subscription service in the United Kingdom and Ireland in early 2012.
(Reporting by Angela Moon; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
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