By Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
Qualys plunges more than 25% premarket
U.S. stocks were heading for losses for the first time in three
sessions on Tuesday, with stock futures pointing lower ahead of
trade numbers and service-sector data.
It also looks like another busy day for corporate news, with
Kellogg (K), Sprint (S) and Office Depot (ODP) slated to report
earnings ahead of the bell.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YMM5) fell 12
points, or 0.1%, to 17,983, while those for the S&P 500 index
(ESM5) dropped 2.55 points, or 0.1%, to 2,106.75. Futures for the
Nasdaq 100 index (NQM5) lost 8 points, or 0.2%, to 4,468.50.
The moves follow two days of gains for the major indexes, with
the S&P 500 (SPX) on Monday ending just a few points shy
(http://www.marketwatch.com/storyno-meta-for-guid) of its record
close set on April 24.
Data: Investors are already looking ahead to the top-tier
nonfarm-payrolls report on Friday, but have some data to zoom in on
Tuesday. At 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, the trade deficit for March is
due, forecast to show a rise to $43.5 billion, from $35.4 billion
in February
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-trade-deficit-sinks-17-in-february-to-354-billion-2015-04-02).
At 10 a.m. Eastern, the ISM nonmanufacturing data are due. The
report -- also known as the ISM reading for the services sector --
is expected to come in at 56.5% in April, unchanged from March
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ism-services-index-dips-in-march-but-shows-steady-us-growth-2015-04-06).
Among Federal Reserve speakers, Minneapolis Fed President
Narayana Kocherlakota speaks at the town hall in Marshall,
Minnesota at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Earnings: Reporting ahead of the bell, Kellogg Co.(K) is
projected to report first-quarter earnings of 92 cents a share,
while Sprint(S) is forecast to report a loss of 6 cents a share in
the fiscal fourth quarter, according to a consensus survey by
FactSet.
Office Depot Inc.(ODP), DIRECTV(DTV) and Archer Daniels Midland
Co.(ADM) were also scheduled to release results ahead of the
bell.
Walt Disney Co.(DIS) moved forward its earnings release to 8
a.m. Eastern instead after the market close so that executives
could attend the funeral of Dave Gold
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dave-goldberg-died-while-exercising-on-vacation-2015-05-04)berg,
husband of board member and Facebook operating chief Sheryl
Sandberg. The company is forecast to post fiscal second-quarter
earnings of $1.11 a share
After hours, Groupon Inc.(GRPN) is expected to report
first-quarter earnings of a penny a share. Herbalife Ltd.(HLF) is
forecast to post first-quarter earnings of $1 a share. On Monday,
Herbalife's biggest critic, Bill Ackman, reiterated his confidence
in his bet against the health-supplements company in a CNBC
interview at the Ira Sohn investment conference in New York.
Movers and shakers: Shares of Qualys Inc.(QLYS) plunged 26%
ahead of the bell after the cloud-security company late Monday
posted a disappointing outlook
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/comcast-cablevision-tyson-foods-earnings-in-focus-2015-05-01).
Other markets: Chinese stocks slid 4.1%, suffering their second
largest daily fall this year
(http://www.marketwatch.com/storyno-meta-for-guid).
European stock markets shook off earlier losses and held on to
gains after the European Commission lifted its growth outlook for
the eurozone
(http://www.marketwatch.com/story/eu-lifts-eurozone-growth-forecast-2015-05-05-5485346).
Oil prices (CLM5) advanced, while most metals declined. The
dollar (DXY) traded higher against most other major currencies.
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