By Anora Mahmudova and Sara Sjolin, MarketWatch
Fed official Charles Plosser speaks at 12:45 p.m.
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures were off their lows
on Tuesday, but still pointed to a weak open on Wall Street, as the
Greek deadlock weighed on sentiment.
Investor reaction to weaker-than-expected Empire State
manufacturing reading was muted, and latest housing-market index is
on the dock.
Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJH5) eased 29
points to 17,953, while those for the Nasdaq 100 index (NDH5)
gained 1 point to 4,378. Futures for the S&P 500 index (SPH5)
dropped 5 points to 2,088.10.
Greece is -- still -- the word: U.S. markets were closed for
Presidents Day on Monday, so investors didn't have a chance to
react to the latest news on Greece until Tuesday. Talks among
eurozone finance ministers broke down abruptly after European
markets had closed on Monday, after Greece's new anti-austerity
government rejected an extension to its 240-billion-euro ($272
billion) bailout program under the conditions offered by its
European partners.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his finance minister,
Yanis Varoufakis, said the terms of the deal hurt the Greek economy
and society, and asked for looser conditions on the bailout
program.
Greece's current program expires at the end of February. If
negotiations end in a deadlock, the Mediterranean nation will lose
access to the rescue loans that have kept it afloat for almost five
years, potentially setting the scene for a default and Greece's
withdrawal from the shared currency, or what is being dubbed a
"Grexit".
"With investors starting to fret over the genuine prospect of
Greece printing drachma in the coming weeks, it looks like global
markets are in for a turbulent ride," said Mike McCudden, head of
derivatives at Interactive Investor, in a note. "However, with a
'Grexit' remaining highly unlikely -- the eurozone traditionally
taking negotiations to the wire -- any panic dips could present
buying opportunities."
Finance ministers from the full European Union, known as Ecofin,
were meeting on Tuesday, and a new meeting of the Eurogroup, a
smaller group of eurozone finance ministers might be scheduled for
Friday. Read: These 5 charts explain the latest Greek drama
Greece's Athex Composite index slid 1.7% to 845.06, while the
Global X FTSE Greek 20 ETF (GREK) slumped 7% ahead of the U.S.
open. Read: Greek assets slammed after debt deadlock
Data: Ahead of a data , Tuesday delivers only two major
readings. The Empire State manufacturing moved slightly lower but
remained in positive territory in February, falling to 7.8 from
10.0 in January. That was below the MarketWatch-compiled economist
forecast for a reading of 9.
At 10 a.m. Eastern Time, the NAHB housing-market index is due.
It's forecast to have increased to 59 in February, from 57 last
month.
Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser will speak on
monetary policy and the economic outlook at an event in
Philadelphia at 12:45 p.m. Eastern Time.
Earnings: Reporting ahead of the bell, Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Co.(GT) posted a huge profit jump, thanks to a one-time tax
credit that offset currency fluctuation and weaker sales in Europe.
Shares jumped premarket.
AMC Entertainment Holding Inc. (AMC) is projected to report
fourth-quarter earnings of 6 cents a share, according to a
consensus survey by FactSet.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.(HOT) said Chief
Executive Frits van Paasschen has resigned and will temporarily be
replaced by director Adam Aron. Shares rose premarket.
After the market closes, watchmaker Fossil Group Inc.(FOSL) is
forecast to post fourth-quarter earnings of $3.07 a share.
Also reporting late, restaurant chain Potbelly Corp.(PBPB) is
expected to post fourth-quarter earnings of 3 cents a share.
Follow more of the day's big stock moves here.
Other markets: European markets were mostly lower, weighed by
those Greece worries. In Asia, most indexes closed higher, with the
Shanghai Composite Index extending its winning streak to seven
sessions.
Gold price ticked down, while oil (CLH5) was little changed. The
ICE dollar index (DXY) moved slightly lower.
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