Monday, May 5, 2014

Stocks: Earnings on tap to start the week

S&P futures 2014 05 05

Click chart for in-depth premarket data.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) There's a hush in the markets Monday morning as earnings season wraps up and investors weigh various economic risks.

U.S. stock futures were lower ahead of the opening bell.

Worries over growing tensions and lawlessness in Ukraine may be causing investors some unease.

Meanwhile, a new HSBC manufacturing report out of China on Monday showed business conditions continued to deteriorate in April, dampening investor sentiment in Asia.

The latest reading from the CNNMoney Fear & Greed Index suggests investors are increasingly fearful.

Earnings season is winding down, but a few more quarterly releases remain on the docket. Pfizer (PFE, Fortune 500) and Tyson Foods (TSN, Fortune 500) will report before the opening bell. Pfizer may reveal further information about its plans to acquire the British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca (AZN).

After the closing bell, gun manufacturer Sturm Ruger (RGR) will report its latest quarterly figures.

Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA, Fortune 500) hosted its annual shareholder meeting over the weekend. The company reported earnings Friday that missed expectations.

It's been a quiet start to May for stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq all fell modestly on Friday, ending the week in the red. Still, the Dow hit an all-time high last week, and the S&P 500 is close to new heights.

European markets were lower in morning trading. Germany's Dax index was down by just over 1%.

Asian markets ended the day with mixed results. Some international markets were closed Monday, including exchanges in London, Seoul and Tokyo. To top of page

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