Here’s what you need to know about the markets before you start your business day.
1. Negative sentiment takes hold: US stock futures are pointing down again, indicating it could be another negative day on Wall Street.
The Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500 have declined for the past two consecutive days. The Nasdaq has ended down three days in a row.
European markets are also falling in early trading, with Germany’s Dax index leading the way with a 1.1% drop. The Ifo business climate index released Thursday showed a considerable cooling in business sentiment in February.
Most Asian markets ended the day in the red. But major Chinese indexes bucked the trend, closing higher on the first day of trading after a holiday.
U.S. Treasury yields continue to sit near four-year highs around 2.9%, providing an increasingly tempting alternative to stocks.